Two of Europe’s most powerful leaders offered contrasting but equally pointed responses Saturday as President Trump announced a 15% tariff on all imports following a Supreme Court ruling against his previous trade policy. While France’s Emmanuel Macron celebrated the role of judicial independence, Germany’s Friedrich Merz sounded the alarm over deepening economic instability.
Macron, speaking in Paris, said it was “not bad to have a supreme court and, therefore, the rule of law,” framing the court’s 6-3 ruling against Trump’s IEEPA tariffs as proof that democratic systems of checks and balances remain functioning. He called for trade policy built on reciprocity rather than unilateral executive decisions, and said France would assess the consequences of the new 15% rate carefully.
Merz struck a more urgent tone, calling the constant uncertainty around US tariff policy “the biggest poison” for both European and American economies. He announced plans to travel to Washington with a coordinated EU position and expressed hope that the Supreme Court’s ruling would ease some of the pressure on German companies, even as the new 15% rate threatened to replace it with a fresh burden.
Trump’s announcement was made on Truth Social on Saturday, relying on Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974 — a never-before-used provision allowing up to 15% tariffs for 150 days without congressional approval. He attacked the Supreme Court’s ruling as “anti-American,” reserved biting personal criticism for majority justices including his own nominees, and declared the new tariff effective immediately.
American businesses and consumers have already paid approximately 90% of the $130 billion collected in tariffs under the now-invalidated IEEPA framework. Exemptions for the new rate include critical minerals, metals, pharmaceuticals, and USMCA-compliant imports. The UK, previously at a 10% rate, now faces fresh uncertainty alongside every other US trading partner.