• Trump raised the worldwide tariff from 10% to 15% via Truth Social on Saturday, calling it “effective immediately”
• The 15% rate is the statutory maximum allowed under Section 122, leaving no room for further escalation without Congress
• The increase came less than 24 hours after Trump signed the original 10% executive order following Friday’s Supreme Court defeat

WASHINGTON, DC (TDR) — President Donald Trump raised his newly announced global tariff from 10% to 15% on Saturday — hitting the legal maximum allowed under Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974 — less than 24 hours after signing the original executive order in response to the Supreme Court’s 6-3 ruling striking down his IEEPA tariffs.

“I, as President of the United States of America, will be, effective immediately, raising the 10% Worldwide Tariff on Countries, many of which have been ‘ripping’ the U.S. off for decades, without retribution (until I came along!), to the fully allowed, and legally tested, 15% level.”

Trump made the announcement via Truth Social Saturday morning, describing it as the result of “a thorough, detailed, and complete review” of what he called the court’s “extraordinarily anti-American decision.”

Why 15% Is The Ceiling

Freedom-Loving Beachwear by Red Beach Nation - Save 10% With Code RVM10

Section 122 — never previously used to impose tariffs before Friday — gives the president authority to levy a temporary import surcharge of up to 15% for a maximum of 150 days to address “large and serious” balance-of-payments deficits. Any extension beyond 150 days requires an Act of Congress.

By jumping immediately to the statutory ceiling, Trump has exhausted his escalation room under this authority. The only path to higher rates now runs through Congress — the same body where six House Republicans broke ranks to vote against the president’s tariff authority earlier this month and where GOP leadership holds a single-seat majority.

Asked Friday whether he needed congressional approval, Trump was dismissive.

“We have the right to do pretty much what we want to do.”

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE THE DUPREE REPORT

Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) offered a pointed counter Friday, before the 15% increase was announced.

“Congress’ role in trade policy, as I have warned repeatedly, is not an inconvenience to avoid.”

The move also means the 150-day clock — which began when Trump signed the original order Friday — now runs at maximum intensity from nearly the start. The tariffs are set to expire in mid-July 2026 unless Congress acts, placing the expiration squarely in midterm election season.

What The 15% Rate Covers — And What It Doesn’t

According to a White House fact sheet, the tariff includes exemptions for certain agricultural products — including beef, tomatoes and oranges — as well as critical minerals, pharmaceuticals, some electronics and passenger vehicles.

BNN Bloomberg reported that goods compliant under CUSMA, the Canada-U.S.-Mexico trade agreement, are also exempt. The duty does not stack on top of existing sector-specific tariffs on steel, aluminum and automobiles imposed under Section 232.

Tariffs that survived Friday’s Supreme Court ruling — including Section 232 duties on metals and Section 301 tariffs on Chinese goods — remain “in full force and effect,” as Trump stated Friday.

Trump also indicated that revised country-by-country rates would be announced “in the next short number of months” within legally permissible limits — suggesting the administration intends to use the 150-day window to build cases under Section 301 and Section 232 that could produce permanent, targeted tariffs.

The Revenue And Consumer Math

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Friday that using Section 122 combined with enhanced Section 232 and Section 301 tariffs would keep revenue stable.

“Treasury’s estimates show that the use of Section 122 authority, combined with potentially enhanced Section 232 and Section 301 tariffs, will result in virtually unchanged tariff revenue in 2026.”

That claim was made when the rate was still 10%.

The jump to 15% could significantly alter that calculation. The nonpartisan Tax Foundation estimated that a 10% Section 122 tariff would generate just over half the revenue of the struck-down IEEPA tariffs. At 15%, the gap narrows considerably — but so does the consumer burden.

The average U.S. household paid an estimated $1,000 in additional costs from Trump’s tariffs in 2025, according to the Tax Foundation. The 15% global rate, while lower than the “reciprocal” tariffs that hit some countries at 34% or higher under IEEPA, applies to a broader range of goods from all trading partners simultaneously.

Trading Partners Recalculating

The overnight escalation complicates the wait-and-see posture trading partners adopted Friday. The European Union had called an emergency meeting for Monday to reassess its trade deal. South Korea announced an inter-ministerial review of both the Supreme Court ruling and Trump’s new executive orders.

Countries that had negotiated specific tariff rates under the now-invalidated IEEPA authority face fresh uncertainty. The EU, for example, had agreed to a 15% tariff as part of its trade deal — a rate that now matches the blanket Section 122 duty but was negotiated under a different legal framework that no longer exists.

“While the domestic legal authorities to impose future tariffs will change, the overall direction of travel for the United States — reshoring domestic production and expanding market access abroad through a combination of tariffs and deals — will not.”

That was the White House fact sheet from Friday — written when the rate was 10%.

What Comes Next

The administration has directed U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer to open Section 301 investigations into unfair trade practices — a process that typically takes months but could produce permanent, targeted tariffs that survive beyond the 150-day window. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick is also expected to pursue expanded Section 232 investigations into additional sectors.

The strategy appears clear: use the maximum Section 122 rate as a bridge while building longer-term legal authorities. The question is whether 150 days is enough time — and whether a fractured House GOP caucus would extend the tariffs if the investigations aren’t complete by mid-July.

When a president maxes out his tariff authority within 24 hours of receiving it, does the speed signal strategic urgency or reveal how constrained the legal alternatives really are — and will trading partners read the ceiling as a threat or an invitation to wait out the clock?

Sources

This report was compiled using information from Bloomberg’s breaking report on the 15% increase, NBC News’ coverage of the tariff hike, CBS News’ reporting on Trump’s Truth Social announcement, Reuters’ wire report, BNN Bloomberg’s report on CUSMA exemptions, CNBC’s analysis of the Section 122 tariff, Axios’ explainer on Section 122, the White House fact sheet, NPR’s analysis of tariff alternatives, the Tax Foundation’s tariff tracker, Fortune’s coverage of the Section 122 limits, and CNN’s live updates on trading partner reactions.

Freedom-Loving Beachwear by Red Beach Nation - Save 10% With Code RVM10