President Donald Trump told Pennsylvania steel workers on Friday that he was protecting the industry by doubling tariffs on steel imports by 50%.
In a post later on his Truth Social Platform, he added that tariffs on aluminum would also double to 50%. He said both customs hikes will come into effect Wednesday.
Trump spoke at the US Steel’s Mon Valley Works-Irvin Plant, a suburb of Pittsburgh, and also discussed a detailed deal in which Japanese steel will invest in iconic American iron manufacturers.
Trump initially vowed to block the bids of a Japanese steelmaker to buy Pittsburgh-based US steel, but he reversed the course and announced an agreement last week that he described as “partial ownership” by Japan. However, it is unclear whether the transaction that his administration supported the broker has been completed and how ownership will be structured.
“We are here today to celebrate a blockbuster agreement that ensures that this storied American company will maintain it,” Trump said as he held an event in one of the US steel warehouses. “You’re going to stay in an American company, right?”
Regarding tariffs, Trump said he would double the tax on imported steel to “make the US steel industry even safer,” but said such a dramatic increase could further increase prices.
Iron prices have risen 16% since Trump became president in mid-January, according to the government’s producer price index.
Countries around the world are leviing tariffs on the US in response to the Trump administration sweeping away tariffs on foreign imports. This is what you need to know.
According to the US Department of Commerce, as of March 2025, it was significantly higher in the US than steel prices ($690) or China ($392) and cost a metric ton in the US. The United States produces about three times more steel than steel imported last year, with Canada, Brazil, Mexico and South Korea as the largest sources of steel imports.
Analysts praised the tariffs for returning to Trump’s first term in office to help strengthen the country’s steel industry.
United Steelworkers Union remained skeptical of Nippon investment.
That president, David McCall, said in a statement that the union “is most interested in the impact of this steel merger of US steel on national security, our members, and the communities in which we live and work.”
Trump stressed that the deal will preserve America’s control of a renowned company, which is seen as both a political symbol and a critical issue for the country’s supply chain, industries such as automobile manufacturing and national security.
Trump, who has been hoping to attack deals and announce new investments in the US since the White House was taken away, is also trying to satisfy voters, including the blue-collar workers who selected him when he called to protect US manufacturing.
US Steel has not publicly communicated details of the improved deal to investors. Nippon Steel has issued a statement approving the proposed “partnership” but has not even revealed the terms of the arrangement.
State and federal lawmakers who have been briefed on the issue describe the deal that Japan will buy US steel and spend billions of dollars on US steel facilities in Pennsylvania, Indiana, Alabama, Arkansas and Minnesota. The company is supervised by an executive suite and board of directors, composed primarily of Americans and protected by US government veto in the form of “golden share.”
US steel workers said there were several split opinions on the ranks against the Nippon Steel acquisition, but their sentiment changed over time as they were convinced that US steel would eventually close plants in their Pittsburgh area.
Clifford Hammonds, the factory line feeder Trump spoke to, said the deal would at least help upgrade aging plants and help increase production.
“This plant is old and falling apart, so we put money into the plant to rebuild, because, like I said, this place is old, and it’s falling apart.
Regardless of the conditions, this issue is of importance to Trump. Trump has repeatedly said last year, similar to former President Joe Biden, that he would block US steel deals and foreign ownership.
During the campaign, Trump promised to make the revitalization of American manufacturing a priority for his second term. And the fate of US steel, once the world’s largest company, could be politically responsible for Republican midterm elections in the swing states of Pennsylvania and other battlefield nations that rely on industrial manufacturing.
Trump said on Sunday that he would not approve the deal if US steel was not left under US control and would maintain its headquarters in Pittsburgh.
The president closed his remarks on Friday by thanking steel workers.
“With the help of patriots like you, we will produce our own metals, unleash our own energy, secure our own future, build our nation, and control our destiny,” he said. “We’re once again trying to put Pennsylvania steel in the American backbone more than ever.”
Recently, Trump and other US officials have begun to promote Nippon Steel’s new commitment to invest $14.9 billion in addition to $14.9 billion in bids, including the construction of a new electric arc furnace steel factory somewhere in the United States.
He joined the stage on Friday with several US steel workers, including Jasons Guy, the vice president of the United Steel Workers Regional Union, who rebelled against the United Nations to support Nippon Steel bids to buy US steel.
Zugai, whose father lost his job at the iron factory several years ago, approached local officials and council members to support the contract, believing that he would otherwise close plants in the Pittsburgh area.
In his remarks, Zugai told Trump, “You knew you wouldn’t let us down,” calling the Nippon Steel proposal a “life-changing” investment in US steel production.
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