2026-07-26 · contested story

A forced-labor crackdown or an end-run around Congress? Dissecting Trump’s new tariffs

President Donald Trump imposed new tariffs ranging from 10% to 12.5% on 60 trading partners, affecting over 99% of U.S. imports, effective Friday at 12:01 a.m. ET. The Trump administration justified these tariffs under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974, claiming that these countries have failed to adequately prohibit imports produced with forced labor. The timing coincides with the expiration of Trump's previous 10% global tariff, which the Supreme Court struck down in February as unlawful under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA). Left-leaning outlets like The New Republic and The Guardian frame the tariffs as an illegitimate 'end-run around Congress' and the Supreme Court, emphasizing Trump's desperate search for legal justification and highlighting international outrage at the forced labor claims. Center outlets like NPR, BBC, and The Wall Street Journal focus on the legal maneuvering and strategic timing, presenting the tariffs as Trump's persistent attempt to maintain his trade wall despite judicial setbacks. Right-leaning sources like The Daily Caller and The Telegraph (where accessible) emphasize the forced labor justification as a legitimate moral stance, with U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer defending the action as a long-overdue crackdown on modern slavery that other nations have failed to address.

How each side frames it

left
"It's pretty clear that the Trump administration is simply trying to use any legal justification for its tariffs that will avoid being overturned by the courts this time"
"You can't say that for the European Union. If you compare our labor laws to the ones of the United States, I mean, we have paid vacations, we have very good labor conditions for our employees, so it's not really grounded"
"Trump has not presented any specific evidence of any business in these 60 countries having a slavery problem"
"Donald Trump dug up a zombie law to make things even more expensive for Americans. Trump's next trade scheme is ordering USTR to reconstruct his illegal global tariffs under the guise of addressing forced labor"
"Americans are already frustrated with the high cost of living as they prepare for Nov. 3 elections that will determine whether Trump's Republicans keep full control of Congress"
center
"The administration timed a new set of tariffs on all of its largest trading partners to take effect at the same time the old, global tariff ended"
"The administration said these new tariffs are because those countries are importing goods made with forced labor. However, some big categories of imports, such as energy and many categories of foods, will be exempted"
"Trump used Section 301 to slap big tariffs on China in his first term, and they survived court challenges"
"These new forced-labor tariffs are the result of a months-long investigation"
"For most Americans, the change is unlikely to immediately translate into higher prices because it largely preserves duties that importers have already been paying"
right
"Only the Washington Post Editorial Board would find a way to advocate for a laissez-faire approach to modern slavery"
"The United States is the only country in the world to adopt, and effectively enforce, a ban on imports made with forced labor"
"for nearly one hundred years, U.S. law has prohibited the import of goods made in whole or in part with forced labor"
"Take the European Union: it finally passed a law to prohibit trade in forced labor goods — but it doesn't even take effect until the end of 2027. Or Canada, which, despite having a law on the books, has not stopped many shipments of forced labor goods"
"In his first term, he succeeded in getting Mexico and Canada to adopt import bans on goods made with forced labor. He started his second term by asking countries to adopt the same forced labor import bans as a core provision in each Agreement on Reciprocal Trade"

What each side left out

The left left out — covered by the NPR & CNN
The right left out — covered by the NPR & Los Angeles Times & The New Republic
The center left out — covered by the The Daily Caller & NPR

What's actually true?

[verified] The Supreme Court struck down Trump's IEEPA tariffs in February 2026 as unlawful
[verified] The new tariffs range from 10% to 12.5% on imports from 60 economies covering 99% of U.S. imports
[verified] The tariffs were enacted under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974
[contested] The United States is the only country in the world to adopt and effectively enforce a ban on imports made with forced labor
[verified] The EU's forced labor law doesn't take effect until the end of 2027
[verified] Section 301 tariffs are viewed by trade experts as legally durable because they survived previous court challenges
[verified] The tariffs took effect at 12:01 a.m. ET Friday, precisely when the previous Section 122 temporary tariffs expired
[verified] Energy, food, and certain other product categories are exempted from the new tariffs

The narrative clash

Legitimacy of forced labor justification
Left: Trump has not presented any specific evidence of any business in these 60 countries having a slavery problem
Right: for nearly one hundred years, U.S. law has prohibited the import of goods made in whole or in part with forced labor. No other country has both adopted and effectively enforced laws of similar ambition
Economic impact on consumers
Left: Donald Trump dug up a zombie law to make things even more expensive for Americans
Right: paraphrased: For most Americans, the change is unlikely to immediately translate into higher prices because it largely preserves duties that importers have already been paying
Scope of tariff coverage
Left: paraphrased: The tariffs affect 60 trading partners covering 99% of U.S. imports
Right: paraphrased: Though the new tariffs aren't on goods from every country, they are nevertheless sweeping — the U.S. trade representative's office has said the countries whose goods are tariffed are responsible for more than 99% of imports to the US. However, some big categories of imports, such as energy and many categories of foods, will be exempted

11 sources analyzed

NPR NBC News WSJ The Telegraph Daily Caller The New Republic BBC Los Angeles Times The Hill The Guardian CNN

Perspectivity reads the coverage — not just who published it.

Read the full interactive analysis →