The U.S. President Donald Trump announced on Friday that he would sharply increase tariffs on foreign steel imports, raising rates from 25% to 50%. The move was unveiled during a campaign rally in Pennsylvania.
Following his speech, Trump took to social media to clarify that the new 50% tariff would extend beyond steel to include imported aluminum as well, with the higher rates set to take effect on June 4, 2025.
The implications for a trade accord reached earlier this month—which reduced tariffs on British steel and aluminum to zero—remain uncertain in the wake of Trump’s announcement.
This latest escalation comes a day after a federal appeals court allowed Trump’s existing tariffs to stay in place, issuing a temporary stay against a recent ruling from the U.S. trade court that had blocked the reciprocal tariffs. Notably, the court’s decision does not restrict a president’s unilateral authority to impose or increase tariffs on metal imports, a power granted under Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act on grounds of national security.
