Administration cites Supreme Court guidance, institutes 15% tariff while investigating unfair trade practices

During a press exchange in the Oval Office, the President and a trade adviser said recent judicial guidance reaffirmed executive authority to use licensing and other tools to restrict commerce with certain countries. The President said the administration has implemented a 15% tariff "on everybody" for an interim period while investigations proceed.

A trade adviser present said the administration is completing investigations under section 301 and that the U.S. Trade Representative and the Department of Commerce would begin inquiries into unfair trading practices. The President said those measures have already produced "hundreds of billions of dollars" in revenue for the U.S., calling tariffs a tool that "made our country very rich."

Officials framed the tariff as part of a broader, country-by-country approach to address unfair practices; the adviser said different tariffs may follow after the investigations are complete. The session did not include legislative action; the measures described were presented as executive policy actions and ongoing administrative investigations.