President Donald Trump said Saturday, Feb. 21, 2026, that he is raising his newly announced 15% global tariff on nearly all U.S. imports, less than a day after he rolled out a temporary 10% levy in response to a Supreme Court ruling that wiped out most of his prior tariff program.
Trump announced the increase in a social media post, calling the 15% rate the maximum allowed under the statute he is using. Reporting on the Saturday announcement was published by Reuters and The Associated Press.
The rapid shift leaves businesses and trading partners facing another immediate change in U.S. import costs, while the White House and trade agencies pursue other tariff tools after the high court rejected the president’s attempt to use emergency powers to impose broad country-based duties.
15% global tariff follows a fast reversal from Friday’s 10% plan
Trump unveiled the temporary 10% surcharge on Friday, Feb. 20, 2026, within hours of the Supreme Court’s 6-3 decision that struck down most of the higher, wide-ranging tariffs he had imposed under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, a 1977 law known as IEEPA.
On Saturday, Trump said the rate would move to 15%. The AP reported that the 10% tariff signed Friday night was scheduled to take effect starting Feb. 24, and the White House had not immediately confirmed when an updated order reflecting the 15% rate would be signed.
Even with the increase, the new plan replaces a patchwork of country-level rates and timelines that had become a central feature of Trump’s trade agenda. U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said the court’s decision affected Trump’s “reciprocal” and fentanyl-related tariffs, while tariffs imposed under other laws remain in place.
For editors, several visual options fit this story without adding spin, including the Supreme Court building, Trump at a White House press briefing, shipping containers at a major U.S. port, and images of autos and electronics on dealership lots and store shelves.
Section 122 is the legal basis and it comes with a 150-day limit
Trump is grounding the 15% global tariff in Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974, a balance-of-payments authority that allows a “temporary import surcharge” of up to 15% for up to 150 days unless Congress extends the period by law.
Section 122 permits action when “fundamental international payments problems require special import measures,” including to deal with “large and serious” U.S. balance-of-payments deficits or to prevent an “imminent and significant depreciation” of the dollar in foreign exchange markets. It also states that any temporary import surcharge “shall be treated as a regular customs duty,” meaning it is collected like ordinary tariffs at the border.
Because the statute caps the surcharge at 15% and ties it to a 150-day window, the administration’s move creates a defined deadline. If the White House wants the tariff to last beyond that period, it will need Congress to extend it. If it does not, the surcharge expires by operation of law, unless some other trade authority replaces it.
The White House issued a proclamation Friday describing the Section 122 action as a response to “fundamental international payments problems” and citing the president’s receipt of information and recommendations from senior officials. The text of that proclamation is posted on the White House website.
