Trump May Impose 25% Steel, Aluminum Tariffs: DC Watch

Editor’s Note

President Donald J. Trump says a lot of things every day that could affect manufacturers’ strategies. His social media posts, executive orders and comments to the news media, in addition to responses to those developments, can generate a lot of noise and confusion. So, welcome to DC Watch. In this space, we’ll collect the latest comments from politicians that could impact manufacturing and offer a little bit of context. We will continue to write in-depth material about big political issues impacting the manufacturing world – from tax and trade changes to regulatory overhauls. Many of those articles will start out here as Washington publicly debates the merits of various proposals.

10:40 a.m., Feb. 10, 2025

Trump Proposes 25% Tariffs on Steel, Aluminum Imports

• Type of news: Comments to reporters, an executive order may follow later on Monday
• The latest: Over the weekend, President Donald Trump told reporters that he will order new 25% tariffs on all steel and aluminum exported to the United States, including goods from Mexico and Canada.

Impact on manufacturing: The vast majority of American manufacturing uses steel and aluminum, so tariffs could drive up costs on automobiles, appliances and dozens of other consumer goods. It could also lead to reciprocal tariffs from trade partners on U.S. goods, lowering demand for U.S.-made products in other parts of the world. Tariffs could also boost pricing power for domestic metals producers.