3 American Companies Investors Need to Know Amid Trump's Tariff Wars

Globe and Mail

22-05-2025

It's difficult to predict precisely what the tariff landscape will look like when the dust settles on the trade conflict, but we can say some things with a high degree of certainty. The current U.S. administration is serious about improving trading conditions for American companies and workers. That counts for both exporters and American companies competing domestically. In addition, President Trump is trying to encourage self-sufficiency in energy and key minerals and metals. That's great news for companies like Freeport-McMoran (NYSE: FCX), Whirlpool (NYSE: WHR), and Cheniere Energy (NYSE: LNG). Here's why.
Freeport-McMoran: Helping secure a critical metal for the U.S.
The miner dominates the domestic copper market. It provides 70% of the domestically sourced copper for U.S. refined production. That said, the U.S. imports 45% of its refined copper consumption. If the U.S. is going to reduce its dependency on foreign refined copper, Freeport-McMoran will play a significant role.
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There's increasing support for such an approach, with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce writing to the Commerce Department advocating for copper to be included in the list of critical metals and to receive tax credits under the existing section 45X tax credits, and for immediate action to encourage minerals and metals production in the U.S.
The good news is Freeport-McMoran is ideally placed to meet domestic demand with potential brownfield projects in Bagdad and Lone Star, Arizona, as well as an exciting leaching initiative to extract copper from existing U.S. stockpiles.
In addition, President Trump has requested an investigation of copper imports, which could lead to tariffs on them. The mere threat of tariffs has encouraged the market to pay a premium for U.S. copper of around 13%. Freeport's management estimates that this premium were to remain through the year, it would lead to an $800 million "bottom line" financial benefit. If a tariff of, say, 25% is imposed, Freeport will benefit even more.
While none of these events can be guaranteed, the current administration is biased toward supporting investment in copper and domestic provision of it, which is highly likely to improve Freeport-McMoran's profitability.
Whirlpool: Evening out the playing field
Appliance maker Whirlpool trades with a massive dividend yield, but its $380 million dividend may not prove sustainable if current market pressures persist. Persistently high interest rates continue to pressure the housing market and, in turn, higher-margin discretionary purchases of domestic appliances.
Moreover, its competitive position was hit in late 2024 and early 2025 as Asian competitors pushed through imports to the U.S. in anticipation of tariffs. In addition, the pause on tariffs recently announced with China may encourage more near-term imports.
With $4.8 billion in long-term debt, and its forecast for $500 million to $600 million in free cash flow (FCF) in doubt, Whirlpool's dividend payout is already questionable.
That said, management believes the company will be a net winner from tariffs, not least if the administration closes a loophole that allows Asian competitors not to pay tariffs on the Chinese steel they use in their products. This would result in a $70-per-product cost disadvantage (and a $150 difference in the retail margin) for Whirlpool on large major appliances such as washing machines.
On the last earnings call, CEO Marc Bitzer said he had "a high degree of confidence that the new administration will close these loopholes." That would be a significant win for Whirlpool, and if management decides to reset investor expectations, possibly after a dividend cut, Whirlpool could be an excellent stock to invest in.
Cheniere Energy: Exporting U.S. energy
The Biden administration paused approvals for applications to export liquefied natural gas (LNG) from new projects in 2024. The Trump administration immediately ordered their resumption upon taking office.
The difference is stark, and it's good news for Cheniere Energy, the largest LNG producer in the U.S. The company owns a 48.6% stake in Cheniere Energy Partners (owners of the major LNG terminal in Sabine Pass, Louisiana). In addition, Cheniere Energy owns the Corpus Christi LNG Terminal in Texas, which it continues to invest in to expand capacity.
The company's business model involves purchasing natural gas in the North American market (which the Trump administration wants to encourage) and processing it into LNG for export worldwide. Again, it's no secret that President Trump is actively promoting LNG exports around the globe.
Stocks to buy
The point of tariffs is to improve U.S. companies' competitive positioning, whether domestically or in international markets. However, the current administration can also do this by encouraging investment in copper, closing loopholes that hurt Whirlpool's competitive positioning, and encouraging LNG investment and export markets. If these things happen, the stocks discussed above will be long-term winners.
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