Trump may bring back tariffs ‘in another form’

Roughly a month after the US Supreme Court struck down President Donald Trump's "reciprocal tariffs," the Republican leader said yet again on Monday that he would move forward with imposing tariffs “in another form.""The decision that mattered most to me was TARIFFS! The Court knew where I stood, how badly I wanted this Victory for our Country, and instead decided to, potentially, give away Trillions of Dollars to Countries and Companies who have been taking advantage of the United States for decades. Our Supreme Court has made these Countries very happy but, as the Court pointed out, I have the absolute right to charge TARIFFS in another form, and have already started to do so," Trump said in a lengthy statement on Truth Social.Also Read | Trump tariff refunds of $166 billion inch closer as US system is 40–80% completeThe Supreme Court ruling in February dealt a setback to the President's trade policy as Trump had argued that the court’s decision benefits foreign countries that have long taken advantage of the United States.The president suggested that despite the ruling, his administration would continue pursuing trade measures aimed at protecting US industries and countering what he described as decades of unfair economic practices by rival nations.Trump further said the case involved potentially “trillions of dollars” that could otherwise be returned to foreign governments and companies. He argued that such outcomes would reward countries that, in his view, had benefited from trade arrangements that disadvantaged the United States."The Hundreds of Billions of Dollars that our Adversaries want our Country to pay back to others that have disrespected the U.S.A., until I came along, should be marked down, in the eyes of the Public, as just another reason why the United States had been in such major decline — But, not anymore, because we have MADE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN and, very soon, it will be GREATER THAN EVER BEFORE," he added. Also Read | US launches ‘unfair’ trade probe into India & 15 other countriesIn the same statement, Trump thanked conservative justices Samuel Alito, Clarence Thomas and Brett Kavanaugh for what he called their “wisdom and courage” in the case, while sharply criticising the broader court for its decision.US opens fresh trade probes into India and other nationsEven as the administration looks for alternative ways to impose tariffs, Washington has begun laying the groundwork for new trade actions through fresh investigations targeting major trading partners such as India and China.The office of the US Trade Representative announced last week that it had launched an 'unfair trade practices' investigation into what it describes as excessive industrial capacity among 16 economies, including China, the European Union, India, Japan, South Korea and Mexico. The probe could lead to new tariffs as early as this summer.Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said the inquiry will focus on countries that appear to maintain unusually large manufacturing output relative to domestic demand, often reflected in persistent trade surpluses or idle production capacity.Officials plan to examine several indicators, including government subsidies, currency practices, suppressed wages, state-owned enterprise activity and weak environmental or labour standards that could give exporters an unfair advantage.Greer said the government hopes to complete the Section 301 probe and recommend remedies before the temporary tariffs expire in July.