US federal court blocks some of Trump’s steepest tariffs; appeal expected
On May 23, 2025, after claiming that trade talks with the European Union were “going nowhere,” US President Donald Trump threatened on social media to impose a 50% tariff on goods from the EU as of June 1, as reported by the Guardian. The threatened 50% tariff was substantially higher than the 20% tariff on EU goods that was announced by the White House on April 2 as part of a major escalation against several dozen countries and subsequently paused on April 9 for 90 days.
However, after a phone call with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on May 25, Trump dropped the threat of the 50% tariff, as reported by Reuters. And with that, the US-EU tariff situation returned to the status quo ante: a baseline 10% tariff imposed by the US on most EU goods, including nuts and dried fruits, and a chance for the two sides to reach a negotiated agreement before higher tariffs take effect on July 9.
On May 29, the U.S. Court of International Trade ruled that federal law did not allow Trump “unbounded authority” to place tariffs on imports from countries around the world, as reported by the New York Times. The ruling refers to tariffs imposed under Trump’s novel interpretation of the 1977 International Emergency Economic Powers act —specifically, the tariffs on goods from China, Mexico, and Canada, as well as the baseline 10% tariff on all imports from all origins— and does not affect tariffs imposed under different legal provisions. The ruling gave the Trump administration 10 days to remove the tariffs.
This ruling is not, however, the final word on this subject. The Trump administration is expected to appeal the decision in federal court. At the time of this report, it was not clear whether the administration would seek to justify the tariffs under a different legal authority.
For the latest changes affecting nuts and dried fruits, remember to visit the INC’s regularly updated Tariffs Timeline.