Trump says he plans to double steel tariffs to 50%

U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday told Pennsylvania steelworkers he’s doubling the tariff on steel imports to 50 per cent to protect their industry, a dramatic increase that could further push up prices for a metal used to make housing, vehicles, beer cans and other goods.

Trump was speaking at U.S. Steel’s Mon Valley Works–Irvin Plant in West Mifflin, Pa., to announce investments by Japan’s Nippon Steel.

“We are going to be imposing a 25 per cent increase. We are going to bring it from 25 per cent to 50 per cent, the tariffs on steel into the United States of America, which will even further secure the steel industry in the United States. Nobody’s going to get around that,” he said.

“At 25 per cent, they can get over that fence. At 50 per cent, they can no longer get over that fence.”

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In a post later on his Truth Social platform, Trump said that aluminum tariffs would also be doubled to 50 per cent. He said both tariff hikes would go into effect Wednesday.

The U.S. first imposed 25 per cent tariffs on steel and aluminum from Canada in March. As the duties have increased with Trump’s tariffs, the government’s producer price index found the price of steel products has increased roughly 16 per cent.

As of March, steel cost $984 US per metric ton in the United States, significantly more than the price in Europe ($690 US) or China ($392 US), according to the U.S. Commerce Department. The United States produced about three times more steel than it imported last year, with Canada, Brazil, Mexico and South Korea being the largest sources of steel imports.

The prime minister’s office did not immediately comment.