What tariffs has Trump introduced and why?

US President Donald Trump has introduced a new 10% global tariff rate after the Supreme Court ruled that the majority of tariffs he introduced in 2025 were illegal.

Trump argues that his import taxes have boosted US manufacturing and created jobs. But critics say they have put up prices for American consumers and have disrupted and damaged the global economy.

It is thought the new 10% duty will replace the individual rates that were negotiated between the US and dozens of its trading partners - including the UK, India and EU - after the global tariffs were introduced.

Tariffs are taxes on imported goods.

Typically, the charge is a percentage of a good's value.

For example, a 10% tariff on a $10 product would mean a $1 tax on top - taking the total cost to $11 (£8.17).

The tax is paid to the government by companies bringing in the foreign products.

These firms may pass some or all of the extra cost on to their customers, which in this case means American consumers and other US businesses.

Companies may also decide to import fewer goods.

Trump says "tariff" is his favourite word, and has for decades repeatedly hailed them as a way to boost the US economy.

He argues they increase the amount of tax raised by the government, encourage consumers to buy American-made goods and boost investment in the US from foreign companies.

He also wants to reduce the US trade deficit - the gap between the value of goods it buys from other countries and those it sells to them.

The president argues that the US has been exploited by "cheaters" and "pillaged" by foreigners, and that tariffs correct this imbalance.

Trump has used different bits of legislation to introduce taxes against individual countries and on particular goods.

Many tariffs that he has announced have since been amended, delayed or scrapped altogether.

Trump has also used tariffs to pursue his wider political agenda.

When he first threatened new duties against China, Mexico and Canada, he said the countries had to do more to stop migrants and the illegal drug fentanyl reaching the US.

In January 2026, Trump said the US would apply a 25% tariff to Iran's trading partners, after Tehran cracked down on anti-government protests.

And in the same month, he threatened additional tariffs on eight European countries which opposed his plans to take over Greenland, before backing down.

On 20 February, the US Supreme Court said that Trump had exceeded his authority when he used emergency powers to introduce tariffs on specific countries without approval from Congress.

That ruling affected all tariffs Trump brought in under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA).

That includes the first tariffs Trump announced in early 2025 which targeted Mexico, Canada and China.

It also covers those announced on Trump's so-called "Liberation Day" in April 2025, when the president set out tariff rates of up to 50% for dozens countries, including Cambodia, Vietnam and Malaysia.

In response to the Supreme Court ruling, Trump used different legislation - Section 122 of the 1974 Trade Act - to impose a temporary 10% tariff on all global imports.

He had threatened to bring in a 15% rate, but the lower rate took effect on 24 February. It will remain in place for 150 days, at which point Trump is expected to consult Congress on any extension.

Various goods are exempted, such as critical minerals, metals, pharmaceuticals and some foodstuffs including beef and oranges.

The White House also confirmed that the existing tariff exemption for goods from Canada and Mexico covered by the United States-Mexico-Canada (USMCA) free trade deal would continue.

An official said countries which had negotiated individual tariffs would now face the global 10% rate instead.

In many cases that is less than the tariff rate previously agreed, but it is not clear whether all the terms of those trade deals still apply.

US trade representative Jamieson Greer said Washington expected foreign governments to stand by their commitments.

However, the EU Parliament said the deal it had secured with the US in July 2025 would remain "on hold until further notice".

Writing on X, Bernd Lange, chair of the parliament's international trade committee, said "clarity and legal certainty are needed before any further steps can be taken".

China, which is preparing to host Trump for trade negotiations in early April, said it was "conducting a comprehensive assessment of [the] content and impact" of the Supreme Court ruling.

The Supreme Court ruling did not specify whether the US government has to refund the money which it has collected under the IEEPA tariffs - thought to be around $130bn (£96bn).

Trump previously said that refunds would be a "complete mess" and "almost impossible for our Country to pay".

The president and his Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent both said the issue would have to be decided by the courts, a process which could take years.

Days after the ruling, the global transportation and postal company FedEx said it was suing the US government for a "full refund" of the money it paid as a result of the IEEPA tariffs.

Hundreds of other firms including cosmetics company Revlon, aluminium giant Alcoa and food importers like tuna brand Bumble Bee have already filed lawsuits contesting the tariffs and are also expected to pursue refunds.

The UK had already negotiated 10% tariffs with the US on most goods in June 2025.

In 2024, it exported about £58bn of goods to the US - mainly cars, machinery and pharmaceuticals.

Under the terms of the 2025 deal, the 10% rate applied to the first 100,000 UK vehicles exported every year - roughly the number sold in 2024. Additional cars face the standard 25% tariff.

UK steel exports to the US are also subject to 25% duty, compared to the 50% rate which applies to steel and aluminium products from the rest of the world.

The UK prime minister's official spokesman said the "majority" of the US-UK deal was not expected to change after the Supreme Court ruling. But he described the situation as "evolving", and said discussions between the UK and US were ongoing.

The Supreme Court ruling does not apply to the tariffs which the Trump administration has put in place for particular products, wherever they are made in the world.

These include:

• 50% tariff on steel and aluminium imports (except for those from the UK)
• 50% tariff on copper imports
• 50% tariff on kitchen and bathroom cabinets and some furniture
• 25% tariff on most foreign-made cars, engines and other car parts
• 25% tariff on all heavy-duty trucks

In addition, Trump ended an exemption for imports valued at $800 (£592) or less.

It means low-cost goods are no longer duty-free - a move affecting millions of packages sent every day, including those from online retailers like Shein and Temu.

The companies shipping the parcels now have to pay duties based on the tariff rate which applies to the country the goods were sent from. Otherwise, for six months, they can choose to pay a fixed fee of between $80 and $200 per package.

In November 2025, Trump signed an executive order exempting a range of food products from tariffs, including avocados, bananas, beef and coffee because of domestic shortages.

Many firms said they would pass on the cost of tariffs to US customers, including Target, Walmart and Adidas.

Some products have become more expensive - including toys, appliances and furniture as well as certain foodstuffs.

The cost of some goods manufactured in the US using imported components has also gone up.

But on the whole, prices have not risen by as much as some analysts had predicted.

US inflation was 2.4% in the 12 months to January 2026.

That was lower than the figure of 2.7% that was recorded the previous month, but was the same as the figure in April 2025, before most tariffs took effect.

Trump was accused of throwing the global economy into turmoil when he announced the first tariffs of his second presidential term in early 2025.

Share prices around the world fell sharply, as did the value of the dollar.

Although the US currency and global financial markets have since largely recovered, the ongoing uncertainty around Trump's tariff policy has continued to destabilise international trade.

In January 2026, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) said the tariffs had "definitely [slowed] down global activity", and warned further trade tensions could threaten economic growth.

The economic watchdog expects global growth to reach 3.3% in 2026 - an increase from its previous forecast of 3.1% - before slowing slightly to 3.2% in 2027.

It also thinks global headline inflation will fall to 3.8% in 2026 and 3.4% in 2027, but predicts inflation will fall more slowly in the US than in other large economies.