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Ongoing reports and analysis

U.S. President Donald Trump doubled down on tariffs over the weekend, despite an adverse ruling by the Supreme Court on Friday, the lack of domestic political support for his trade policies, and the absence of positive economic outcomes from his trade policy so far.

After the Supreme Court struck down the main authority that Trump had used to levy tariffs, the administration turned to a never-before-used provision of a 1974 law as a temporary measure to maintain higher taxes on U.S. businesses and consumers. That measure will expire in five months, but the administration hopes to buy time to prepare sturdier and more sweeping tariff authorities later in the year.

U.S. President Donald Trump doubled down on tariffs over the weekend, despite an adverse ruling by the Supreme Court on Friday, the lack of domestic political support for his trade policies, and the absence of positive economic outcomes from his trade policy so far.

After the Supreme Court struck down the main authority that Trump had used to levy tariffs, the administration turned to a never-before-used provision of a 1974 law as a temporary measure to maintain higher taxes on U.S. businesses and consumers. That measure will expire in five months, but the administration hopes to buy time to prepare sturdier and more sweeping tariff authorities later in the year.

The immediate reimposition of tariffs under a novel authority raises several questions. How do countries that negotiated trade accords with the Trump administration under the threat of now-illegal tariffs view all this? Is the Trump administration’s plan B for tariffs even legal? Are its plans C and D? Will all of this spur Congress into reclaiming its traditional control over trade policy? Why is a counterproductive policy being pursued with such vigor and so little public debate?

For starters, countries that reached........

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