Trump says will impose 25% tariffs on US steel, aluminum imports

WASHINGTON, Feb 10: The United States will impose 25-percent tariffs on steel and aluminum imports this week, President Donald Trump said Sunday, the latest in a series of trade levies he has announced.

Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One that the tariffs, which he will announce on Monday, will apply to “any steel coming into the United States,” adding that this will also affect aluminum.

Trump imposed similar tariffs during his 2017–2021 presidency to protect U.S. industries, which he believed faced unfair competition from Asian and European countries.

Canada—already threatened by Trump with tariffs—is the largest source of steel and aluminum imports to the United States, according to U.S. trade data. Brazil, Mexico, and South Korea are also major steel providers in the country.

On Sunday, the Republican billionaire also said he would announce “reciprocal tariffs” to match his government’s levies with the rates charged by other countries on U.S. products.

“Every country will be reciprocal,” Trump said, adding that he would make a detailed announcement on the tariffs on Tuesday or Wednesday.

The president has already shown his fondness for weaponizing the United States’ financial power, ordering tariffs on key trade partners China, Mexico, and Canada soon after he took office.

He paused 25-percent levies against Canada and Mexico for a month after both countries vowed to step up measures to counter the flow of fentanyl and the crossing of undocumented migrants into the United States.

However, the tariffs against China went ahead, with products entering the United States facing additional levies of 10 percent since Tuesday.

Beijing responded with targeted tariffs on certain U.S. products such as coal and liquefied natural gas, which will take effect on Monday.

The new Chinese tariffs cover $14 billion worth of U.S. goods, while the tariffs announced by Trump cover $525 billion worth of Chinese goods, according to Goldman Sachs.

‘Golden Age’

Trump has also pledged tariffs on the European Union and said that he would soon announce unspecified “reciprocal tariffs.”

French President Emmanuel Macron vowed in an interview aired Sunday to go head-to-head with Trump over his financial threats to Europe, though he said that the United States should focus its efforts on China rather than the European Union.

Macron also warned on CNN that Americans would feel the effects of any tariffs on Europe, saying they “will increase costs and create inflation in the U.S.”

And in an otherwise friendly meeting Friday with Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, Trump warned Tokyo it could still face tariffs on exported goods if it fails to cut the U.S. trade deficit with Japan to zero.

The trade deficit of the United States—the world’s largest economy—widened last year to nearly $920 billion.

Trump, who has promised a “new golden age” for the United States, has insisted that the impact of any tariffs would be borne by foreign exporters without being passed on to U.S. consumers, despite most experts saying otherwise.

However, he did acknowledge after announcing tariffs on Mexico, Canada, and China earlier this month that Americans might feel economic “pain.”

Trump has wielded tariffs as a threat to achieve his broader policy goals, most recently when he said he would impose them on Colombia if it turned back U.S. military planes carrying deported migrants.

After a day-long showdown with Trump, the Colombian government backed down.

RSS/ Agence France Press