US President Donald Trump announced that his administration raises a tariff on steel imports from 25 percent to 50 percent.
Speaking to steel workers and supporters in a march outside Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Trump frame his latest tariff as a blessing for the local manufacturing industry.
“We will bring it from 25 percent to 50 percent, and tariffs for steel in the United States of America, which will secure the most steel industry in the United States,” Trump told the crowd. “Nobody will tour it.”
How will the tariff increase affect the free trade deal with Canada and Mexico-or a separate trade deal earlier this month with the United Kingdom-are still unclear.
It also left mysterious nature of the deal that was concluded between Nippon Steel, the largest steel product in Japan, and the local company of the United States. However, Trump played the partnership between the two companies as a “great agreement”.
“There was no $ 14 billion investment in the history of the steel industry in the United States of America,” Trump said of the deal.
The high tariffs on steel
On Friday, the rally was a return to the site of many events of the Trump election season and his team.
In 2024, Trump was stopping at his home to re -election to an appeal to the working class voters, including those in the rust belt area, a manufacturing center that decreased in the face of the trends of the larger shift and external competition.
The swinging countries like the state of Pennsylvania and Michigan are located in the region, and the Republicans have sided on election day, helping Trump to a second term as president.
Trump, in turn, has developed his agenda “America First” as a political platform designed to enhance the local manufacturing industry. Definitions and other protective policies played a prominent role in this agenda.
In March, for example, Trump announced a preliminary list A 25 percent tariff for steel and aluminumAnd, causing major commercial partners responding like Canada to reprisals.
The following month, a 10 percent tariff also imposed on almost all commercial partners as well as the country’s higher import taxes. They were quickly stopped amid economic shock waves and extensive criticism, while the tariff remained 10 percent in place.
Trump has argued that the definitions are a vital negotiation tool to encourage more investment in the American economy.
But economists have warned that an attempt to “severely reset” the global economy – through exciting tax increases such as definitions – is likely to blow on American consumers, raising prices.
Rachel Zimba, an older colleague at a new American security center, said that the last high tariff for steel indicates that negotiating commercial deals with Trump may lead to “limited benefits”, given sudden shifts in his policies.
Moreover, Friday’s announcement indicates that Trump is likely to continue to double the definitions.
“The challenge is that walking long distances in a tariff may be useful for steel workers, but it is bad for manufacturing and the energy sector, among other things. So, it is not great for the American economy and adds uncertainty to the total expectations,” Zimba explained.
Trump’s customs tariff policies have faced legal challenges in the United States, as all business and states have submitted lawsuits to stop the tax rise in imports.
On Thursday, for example, a federal court briefly ruled that Trump illegally practiced emergency powers to impose a comprehensive list of international definitions, only to the Court of Appeal. Dimulate this ruling A few hours later.
A deal with Nippon Steel
Before announcing the high customs tariffs, a rally on Friday in Pittsburg was expected to focus on the proposed acquisition of Nippon Steel, the second largest steel producer in the country.
“We are here today to celebrate a wonderful agreement that guarantees that this American company, the floors, remains an American company,” Trump said at the beginning of his speech.
But the merger between Nippon Steel and US Steel was controversial, and was largely opposed by trade unions.
Upon returning to the White House in January, Trump initially said he would prevent the acquisition, which reflects a similar position by his predecessor, former US President Joe Biden.
However, he has since then axis His position and support for the deal. Last week, an agreement was announced that he would give Nippon only “partial ownership” on the American steel.
Speaking on Friday, Trump said that the new deal will include Nippon, which is committed to “a commitment of $ 14 billion in the future of the” United States “, although he has not provided details about how the ownership agreement is operated.
“Oh, you will be happy,” Trump told the Steel newspaper. “There is a lot of money on your way.”
The Republican Commander also carried out poetic wax around the history of steel in the United States, describing it as the backbone of the country’s economy.
He said: “The city of Pittsburgh used to produce more steel, which could be produced by most of the entire countries, and it was not close,” adding: “If you do not have a steel, you will not have a country.”
For its part, the United States did not publicly transfer any details of a deal that was renewed for investors. Meanwhile, Nippon issued a statement in which the proposed “partnership” dies, but he did not reveal the terms of the arrangement.
The acquisition divided the union workers, although the United Nations National Steel Union was one of its most prominent opponents.
In a statement before the assembly, the federation asked whether the new arrangement makes “any meaningful change” from the initial proposal.
“Nippon has constantly maintained that it will invest only in the steel facilities if it owns the company directly,” Al -Ittihad said in a statement.
“We have not seen anything in the reports in the past few days, indicating that Nippon has returned from this situation.”
The gathering comes on Friday, when Trump sought to reassure the voter base after a loud start to his second term.
Critics note that steel prices have risen in the United States by approximately 16 percent since Trump took office, and his Republican party faces Congress elections in 2026.
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