Washington, Feb 23 (AP) President Donald Trump on Monday threatened countries around the world to abide by any tariff deals they agreed to despite the US Supreme Court ruling that struck down many of his far-reaching taxes on imports. And he said he wants a global tariff of 15 per cent, up from 10 per cent he had announced immediately after the ruling.

The court's Friday decision struck down tariffs Trump had imposed on nearly every country using an emergency powers law. But the Republican president won't let go of his favorite tool for rewriting the rules of global commerce and applying international pressure.

“Any Country that wants to “play games” with the ridiculous supreme court decision, especially those that have “Ripped Off” the USA. for years, and even decades, will be met with a much higher Tariff, and worse, than that which they just recently agreed to,” Trump posted Monday on Truth Social.

One of Trump's executive orders says he can bypass Congress and impose a 10 per cent tax on imports from around the world starting Tuesday, the same day as his State of the Union speech.

The Latest: Trump is under pressure to deliver on the economy to an increasingly skeptical public ------------------------------------------------------------------ Trump swept back into the White House on promises to bring down prices and restore order to immigration in America. But on both issues, public sentiment has turned against him.

Only 39 per cent of US adults approve of his economic leadership and just 38 per cent support him on immigration, according to the latest Associated Press-NORC Centre for Public Affairs Research survey. Those low numbers show the country is still fretting about the costs of groceries, housing and utilities, a problem compounded by Trump's whipsawing use of tariffs. They also show how the public was disturbed by videos of violent clashes with protesters, including two US citizens killed by federal agents.

Since his party passed a massive tax cut bill last year, Trump has yet to unveil major new economic policy ideas, instead offering reruns about his tax cuts, ideas about reducing mortgage rates and a new government website for buying prescription drugs.

Trump says his State of the Union address will be a long' one ----------------------------------------------------------------- How long is an important question.

As he was wrapping up the White House event recognizing “angel families,” Trump talked about how well the country is performing, in his view, and his administration's work to cut off illegal immigration from Mexico to the US.

“I'm making a speech tomorrow night, and you'll be hearing me say that,” he said. “I mean, it's going to be a long speech because we have so much to talk about.” Last year, the Republican president spoke for a record-setting 100 minutes to a joint session of Congress. Such a speech in a president's first year in office technically is not considered a State of the Union address.

Angel families event wraps up ------------------------------- Trump concluded the event by signing a proclamation designating Feb 22 as “National Angel Family Day.” A candle was lit in memory of victims killed by people in the US illegally, whose names were read aloud. Members of the military then sang “Amazing Grace.” The event featured remarks by family members of the victims who thanked Trump for his work honouring their loved ones and securing the border. Trump acknowledged their suffering and derided the press for its coverage of the issue.

Tariff taxes should be refunded to benefit consumers, Democrats say -------------------------------------------------------------- The bill being introduced by Sens Ron Wyden of Oregon, Ed Markey of Massachusetts and Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire would require the Trump administration to refund the taxes, plus interest. It would prioritize small businesses and encourage importers, wholesalers and large companies to pass the refunds on to their customers.

Shaheen said that repairing any of the damage starts with “President Trump refunding the illegally collected tariff taxes that Americans were forced to pay.” The bill is unlikely to become law, but it reveals how Democrats are starting to apply public pressure going into November's midterm elections for control of Congress. Democrats have begun telling the public that Trump illegally raised taxes and now refuses to repay the money back to the American people.

Democrats call for the government to refund billions in Trump tariff money ---------------------------------------------------------------- A trio of Senate Democrats is calling for the government to start refunding roughly USD 175 billion in tariff revenues.

The justices left the refund question unanswered. So what's going to happen to the money the government has already collected in import taxes now declared unlawful? When the smoke clears, trade lawyers say, importers are likely to get money back — eventually. Still, the path to refunds could prove chaotic.

The Democrats' proposed bill would require US Customs and Border Protection to issue refunds over the course of 180 days and pay interest on the refunded amount, prioritizing refunds to small businesses. (AP) RD RD