Trump says he'll place 25% tariff on autos from the EU, accusing it of not complying with trade deal

[pat_k]

9. Can't under International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA)

It is only those tariffs imposed under IEEPA that were deemed illegal.

Here is Gemini's list of possible alternative authorities.

Imposing tariffs under one of the first two would certainly be challenged by somebody because there is no factual basis for the rationale. And since he's threatening 25% tariffs, he can't use the third.

Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962: This provision allows the president to impose tariffs if imports threaten national security. Trump has previously used this for steel/aluminum and is, as of May 2026, pivoting to this, as detailed in this Wikipedia article, to target specific sectors.

Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974: This gives the president authority to act against unfair foreign trade practices.

Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974: This allows for temporary (up to 150 days) import duties of up to 15% to address balance-of-payments issues, such as large trade deficits.