March 3, 2026, 7:47 p.mMarch 3, 2026, 7:47 p.m
Tariffs for you! And you! Tariffs for all of you!Image: keystone
US President Donald Trump has confirmed his intention to introduce a global tariff of 15 percent on imports into the US. He could raise this for up to five months, he said at the second bilateral meeting with Chancellor Friedrich Merz (CDU) in the Oval Office since he took office.
In addition, his government is continuing to investigate the possibility of imposing different tariffs for different countries, Trump said – and then joked to US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, who was also present in the Oval Office: “How do we treat Germany? I think you should hit them very, very hard.”
Since last week, the US government has imposed a global tariff of ten percent on many imports. Trump had already promised 15 percent, but a corresponding order is still a long time coming. The basis for the previous ten percent is a trade law from 1974, which provides for a maximum of 15 percent tariffs for a maximum period of 150 days. After that, Trump would need congressional approval.
The Trump administration recently suffered a bitter defeat at the US Supreme Court. The Supreme Court ruled that many of its tariffs were illegal in their current form. This also included another 15 percent tariff. Trump had imposed the tariffs bypassing Parliament, citing an emergency law – and thus, according to the court, exceeded his authority. (sda/dpa)