Trump to impose 25% tariffs on steel, aluminum imports

United States President Donald Trump says he will introduce new 25% tariffs on all steel and aluminum imports into the U.S.

Trump announced this while speaking to reporters on Air Force One on his way to the NFL Super Bowl in New Orleans on Sunday, February 9, 2025.

The president said he will announce the new metals tariffs on Monday, February 10.

He also said he will announce reciprocal tariffs on Tuesday or Wednesday, to take effect almost immediately, applying them to all countries and matching the tariff rates levied by each country.

“And very simply, it’s, if they charge us, we charge them,” Trump said of the reciprocal tariff plan.

The largest sources of U.S. steel imports are Canada, Brazil, and Mexico, followed by South Korea and Vietnam, according to government and American Iron and Steel Institute data.

By a large margin, hydropower-rich Canada is the largest supplier of primary aluminum metal to the U.S., accounting for 79% of total imports in the first 11 months of 2024.

“Canadian steel and aluminum support key industries in the U.S. from defence, shipbuilding and auto,” Canadian Innovation Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne posted on X.

“We will continue to stand up for Canada, our workers, and our industries,” the minister added.

Trump also said that while the U.S. government would allow Japan’s Nippon Steel to invest in U.S. Steel, it would not allow this to become a majority stake.

“Tariffs are going to make it very successful again, and I think it has good management,” Trump said of U.S. Steel.

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Nippon Steel declined to comment on the latest announcements from Trump.

Trump during his first term imposed tariffs of 25% on steel and 10% on aluminum, but later granted several trading partners duty-free exemptions, including Canada, Mexico, and Brazil. Mexico is a major supplier of aluminum scrap and aluminum alloy.

Former President Joe Biden later negotiated duty-free quota arrangements with Britain, the European Union and Japan.

It was not immediately clear from Trump’s announcement what will happen to those exemptions and quota arrangements, Reuters reported.

Trump has threatened to impose tariffs of 25% on all Mexican and Canadian imports unless America’s two largest trading partners take stronger actions.

He paused the tariffs until March 1 after some initial border security concessions from the two countries, with Mexico pledging to add 10,000 National Guard troops to its border and Canada deploying new technology and personnel and taking new anti-fentanyl steps.

Asked whether Mexico’s and Canada’s actions were good enough, Trump replied: “No, it’s not good enough. Something has to happen, it’s not sustainable, and I’m changing it.”

Trump did not say what Canada and Mexico needed to do to avoid broad tariffs on March 1.

The Star