Trump says U.S. will double steel tariffs to 50%

President Donald Trump told U.S. steelworkers on Friday that he will double tariffs on steel imports to 50%.

President Donald Trump told U.S. steelworkers on Friday that he will double tariffs on steel imports to 50%.

“We’re going to bring it from 25% to 50%, the tariffs on steel into the United States of America,” Trump said during remarks at U.S. Steel’s Irvin Works in West Mifflin, Pennsylvania.

Trump is visiting U.S. Steel after indicating last week that he will clear a controversial merger with Japan’s Nippon. Investors and union members are listening for answers from the president on what shape the deal he announced between U.S. Steel and Nippon will take.

Trump described the deal as a “partnership” in a May 23 post on his social media platform Truth Social. The president said U.S. Steel’s headquarters would remain in Pittsburgh and Nippon would invest $14 billion over 14 months in the more than 120-year-old American industrial icon.

Trump told reporters on Sunday that the deal is an “investment, it’s a partial ownership, but it will be controlled by the USA.” But the White House and the companies have provided little detail to the public on how the deal is structured since Trump’s announcement.