President Donald Trump imposed an additional 10 percent tariff on imports into the United States after the Supreme Court struck down many of his sweeping and often arbitrary duties, delivering a stinging rebuke to his signature economic policy.
Trump signed the tariff order in the Oval Office — saying on social media it was “effective almost immediately” — after spending the past year imposing various rates to cajole and punish countries, both friend and foe.
The new duty is slated to take effect February 24 for 150 days, with exemptions remaining for sectors that are under separate probes, including pharma, and goods entering the US under the US-Mexico-Canada agreement, according to a White House factsheet.
US trading partners that reached tariff deals with Trump’s administration will now also face a 10 percent duty, despite higher levels they may have agreed on previously, the White House said.
But a White House official told AFP that the Trump administration would seek ways to “implement more appropriate or pre-negotiated tariff rates” down the line.
