The US supreme court ruled on Friday that Trump’s sweeping tariffs were illegal. Harris said despite the court decision, the imposition of tariffs by the Trump administration “by some other means, for instance via some alternative legal basis, cannot be ruled out”. There is significant concern within the pharma industry in Ireland that the court decision may turn Trump’s attention to possibly introducing tariffs on pharma imports, via the national security route. It is unclear where the court ruling leaves a deal the European Union struck with the Trump administration on tariffs last summer. Senior officials inside the European Commission, the EU’s executive branch, which negotiated that tariff deal, expected Trump to use other means to reimpose his tariff agenda, even partially.

Source: The Irish Times February 20, 2026 20:27 UTC