By Emmanuel Bobby
President Donald Trump’s reworked global tariffs are set to begin Tuesday at a rate of 10%, despite his recent pledge that they would start at 15%.
After the Supreme Court struck down most of his previous tariff agenda, Trump announced Friday that he would impose a flat 10% tariff on all trading partners using a different trade law. The following day, he claimed on Truth Social that he would immediately raise the tariff to 15%, calling that level “fully allowed and legally tested.”
The administration is now relying on Section 122 of U.S. trade law, which allows tariffs of up to 15% to be imposed quickly, but only for a maximum of 150 days. Just hours before the policy was set to take effect, U.S. Customs and Border Protection informed importers that the tariff would begin at 10% and apply to every country, unless exempted, starting at 12:01 a.m. Eastern Time on Tuesday.
A White House official confirmed the memo’s accuracy, saying the tariff would start at 10% while the administration prepares a separate order to raise it to 15%. The official did not provide a timeline for when Trump would sign that order.
The shifting tariff plans have fueled concerns among companies, investors, and foreign governments about renewed trade instability. Bernd Lange, a senior European Union lawmaker, criticized the situation as “pure tariff chaos,” saying the policy swings have created confusion and uncertainty.
In response, the European Union paused implementation of a major trade deal reached with the Trump administration last summer. Other trading partners, including India, China, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom, are also reassessing their positions.
Many recent trade agreements negotiated by the administration were based on the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, the law the Supreme Court ruled Trump misused when he imposed broad tariffs last year.
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