The Supreme Court struck down President Trump's emergency tariffs, but he swiftly replaced them with a global 10% levy. However, this too has been deemed illegal by the US Court of International Trade.

This leaves Trump without many legal manoeuvres as he prepares to meet China’s President Xi Jinping next week. His key trade policy, relying on tariffs to boost American manufacturing, now faces serious challenges.

The court's ruling did not issue a nationwide ban and only required refunds for specific plaintiffs, potentially sparing further chaos. However, it may still open the door for more lawsuits from importers and affected customers paying higher prices.

Trump is likely to appeal but could face immediate pressure to investigate alternative tariff regimes under different statutes, which might take weeks or even months.

Meanwhile, Trump criticised the judges involved in the ruling, vowing to continue his tariff agenda through other means.