US updates: Trump's 50% steel tariffs to come into force – DW – 06/04/2025
Skip next section US to double double steel and aluminum tariffs
06/04/2025
June 4, 2025 US to double double steel and aluminum tariffs
US President Donald Trump will double tariffs on most steel and aluminum imports starting Wednesday, the White House announced on Tuesday, intensifying the administration's ongoing trade battles.
The executive order increasing duties on both steel and aluminum from 25% to 50% is the latest escalation in Trump's trade wars.
The increase comes into effect at 12:01 a.m. (4:01 a.m. GMT).
The move is meant to "counter foreign countries that continue to offload low-priced, excess steel and aluminum in the US," the White House said.
Announcing the tariff hike last week to workers at a US Steel plant in Pennsylvania, Trump said the move will "further secure the [US] steel industry."
"Nobody's going to get around that," he said.
The order also said it will "eliminate the national security threat posed by imports of steel and aluminum articles and their derivative articles."
EU steel industry braces for impact of US tariffs
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The tariff hike excludes imports from the United Kingdom, which will continue to face a 25% rate as part of a recent bilateral trade agreement.
Other key trading partners, including Canada, Mexico, and the European Union, are bracing for potential economic fallout, with EU officials warning of retaliatory measures.
Meanwhile, steel prices have risen 16% since Trump took office in mid-January, according to the government's Producer Price Index.
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