Trump to announce 25% steel and aluminum tariffs in latest trade escalation
President Donald Trump speaks to reporters aboard Air Force One where he signed a proclamation declaring Feb. 9 Gulf of America Day as he travels from West Palm Beach, Fla. to New Orleans, Sunday, Feb. 9. AP-Yonhap
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Sunday that he will announce on Monday new 25 percent tariffs on all steel and aluminum imports into the U.S., which would come on top of existing metals duties in another major escalation of his trade policy overhaul.
Trump, speaking to reporters on Air Force One, on his way to the NFL Super Bowl in New Orleans, also said he will announce reciprocal tariffs on Tuesday or Wednesday, to take effect almost immediately.
He said the U.S. would match tariff rates levied by other countries and that this would apply to all countries.
"And very simply, it's, if they charge us, we charge them," Trump said of the reciprocal tariff plan.
Trump during his first term imposed tariffs of 25 percent on steel and 10 percent on aluminum, but later granted several trading partners duty-free quotas, including Canada, Mexico and Brazil.
Former President Joe Biden extended these quotas to Britain, Japan and the European Union, and U.S. steel mill capacity utilization has dropped in recent years.
According to government and American Iron and Steel Institute data, the largest sources of U.S. steel imports are Canada, Brazil and Mexico, followed by Korea and Vietnam.
By a large margin, Canada is the largest supplier of primary aluminum metal to the United States, accounting for 79 percent of total imports in the first 11 months of 2024. Mexico is a major supplier of aluminum scrap and aluminum alloy.
Shipping containers at the Tianjin port, China, Feb. 5. EPA-Yonhap
Matching rates
Trump said he would hold a news conference on Tuesday or Wednesday to provide detailed information on the reciprocal tariff plan, adding that he first revealed on Friday that he was planning reciprocal tariffs to ensure "that we're treated evenly with other countries." The new U.S. president has long complained about the EU's 10 percent tariffs on auto imports being much higher than the U.S. car rate of 2.5 percent. He frequently states that Europe "won't take our cars" but ships millions west across the Atlantic every year.
The U.S., however, enjoys a 25 percent tariff on pickup trucks, a vital source of profits for Detroit automakers General Motors, Ford and Stellantis' U.S. operations.
The U.S. trade-weighted average tariff rate is about 2.2 percent, according to World Trade Organization data, compared to 12 percent for India, 6.7 percent for Brazil, 5.1 percent for Vietnam and 2.7 percent for European Union countries. (Reuters)