Trump suggests trade war could escalate as administration says it will stop collecting levies ruled illegal by supreme court
Donald Trump has declared that he can use tariffs in a “much more powerful and obnoxious way”, as the UK and the EU said they were seeking urgent clarity on the US trade deals they struck last summer.
Trump threatened to ramp up his global tariff war on Monday, after a supreme court ruling last week that he had overstepped his legal authority to impose his “liberation day” measures last year.
Keir Starmer’s spokesperson said he did not expect Trump’s new 15% global tariff – announced on Saturday – to affect the “majority” of a UK-US economic deal that was agreed last year.
However, it is still not clear if the new tariffs, collected from Tuesday, will be at the 10% rate on most goods agreed last May, the 15% rate, or customs default to pre-reciprocal day tariffs.
…tariffs…tariffs…tariffs…tariffs… like a broken record. Comply and new tariffs await you when he … oh, he’ll just find something. But sure, go ahead, punish the Americans. Most of the world will continue to turn to stable, reliable, trusted and respected partners to trade with.