Can Washington treat its allies like adversaries – and still keep them?

US PRESIDENT Donald Trump’s tariff campaign has entered a new, more entrenched phase. On Jul 24, the US imposed fresh 10 to 12.5 per cent duties on 60 trading partners – including allies such as Canada, the UK and India – after the temporary 10 per cent global tariff expired.

The move follows a chaotic year and a half in which the administration’s original “Liberation Day” tariffs were struck down by the Supreme Court in February 2026. The court ruled that the International Emergency Economic Powers Act does not authorise sweeping, unilateral tariffs.

Trump has largely worked around the ruling by pivoting to other legal tools, including Section 232 national-security provisions, Section 301 unfair-trade-practice probes and Section 338 anti-discrimination authorities.