WEST MIFFLIN,(AP) - President Donald Trump on Friday told Pennsylvania steelmakers he's doubling the tariff on steel imports to 50 % to protect their industry, a dramatic increase that could further raise prices for the metal used to make homes, cars and other goods. In a later post on his Truth Social platform, he added that tariffs on aluminium will also be doubled to 50 %. He said both tariff hikes will come into effect on Wednesday.
Trump spoke at U.S. Steel's Mon Valley Works-Irvin Plant in suburban Pittsburgh, where he also talked about a future deal under which Japanese company Nippon Steel will invest in the iconic American steelmaker. Trump told reporters after arriving back in Washington that he had yet to approve the deal. "I have to approve the final agreement with Nippon and we haven't seen that final agreement yet, but they have made a very big commitment and it's a very big investment," he said. Although Trump initially vowed to block the Japanese steelmaker's bid to buy Pittsburgh-based U.S. Steel, he reversed course last week and announced a "partial ownership" deal with Nippon.
However, it is unclear whether the deal his administration helped broker has been finalized or how ownership would be structured. Nippon Steel never said it was backing away from its offer to directly buy and control U.S. Steel as a subsidiary, although it did increase the amount it promised to invest in U.S. Steel plants and provided assurances that it would not lay off employees or close plants when it sought federal approval for the acquisition.
"We are here today to celebrate a magnificent agreement that will ensure this great American company remains an American company," Trump said at the launch event at a U.S. Steel warehouse. "You will remain an American company, you know that, right?" "Yes," he said. On tariffs, Trump said doubling the levies on imported steel would "make the U.S. steel industry even more secure." But such a dramatic increase could drive prices even higher. According to the government's Producer Price Index, steel prices have risen by 16 % since mid-January, when Trump became president.
According to the U.S. Department of Commerce, a metric ton of steel in the United States cost $984 in March 2025, significantly more than the price in Europe ($690) or China ($392). The United States produced about three times as much steel as it imported last year, with Canada, Brazil, Mexico and South Korea being the largest sources of steel imports. Analysts credit tariffs dating back to Trump's first term for helping to strengthen the domestic steel industry, something Nippon Steel sought to exploit in its bid to buy U.S. Steel.
The United Steelworkers union remained skeptical.
Its president, David McCall, said in a statement that the union is most concerned about "the impact this merger of U.S. Steel with a foreign competitor will have on national security, our members and the communities where we live and work." Trump stressed that the deal will preserve American control of the storied company, which is considered both a political symbol and an important issue for the country's supply chain, industries such as auto manufacturing, and national security. Trump, who has been making deals and announcing new investments in the U.S. since he took the White House, is also trying to satisfy voters, including the blue-collar voters who elected him, by calling for protecting American manufacturing.
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