‘Too soon to comment’: Nirmala Sitharaman reacts as Trump hikes global tariffs

Speaking to reporters in New Delhi alongside Sanjay Malhotra after addressing the RBI’s 621st Central Board Meeting, Sitharaman said the situation was still evolving.

“On the Indian economy, it is a bit too soon for me to comment. On trade, the commerce ministry is reviewing the situation and the delegation will have to take a call on when they are going to go (to the US) for further negotiations,” she was quoted as saying by News18.

US President Donald Trump has raised global tariffs from 10 percent to 15 percent, a move announced just a day after the Supreme Court of the United States dealt a significant blow to his trade policy.

The decision, revealed on Saturday, followed a court ruling that struck down sweeping tariffs imposed by the Trump administration, holding that the president had exceeded his constitutional authority.

Announcement on Truth Social

Trump announced the tariff hike in a strongly worded post on Truth Social, sharply criticising the Supreme Court’s ruling.

Describing the judgment as “poorly written” and “anti-American,” he said he had ordered an immediate increase in the worldwide tariff rate to 15 percent.

Supreme Court blocks emergency tariff powers

The escalation came after the Supreme Court on Friday invalidated the administration’s earlier tariff framework. The court ruled that Trump had improperly relied on emergency powers to justify broad trade tariffs, concluding that such authority was intended for genuine national emergencies rather than long-term economic policy.

Why the court intervened?

At the centre of the ruling was the administration’s use of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, a law designed to address extraordinary national threats.

The judges found that invoking the legislation to impose wide-ranging tariffs constituted an overreach of executive power. The verdict underscored limits on presidential authority in trade matters, reaffirming that major economic actions must align with congressional intent and constitutional boundaries.

Political and economic implications

Trump’s swift response has intensified debate over executive authority and trade policy, with critics warning that unilateral tariff hikes could further strain global trade relations.

Supporters, however, have framed the move as a firm stand against judicial interference and what Trump describes as unfair international trade practices.