President Donald Trump revealed that the United States will impose new tariffs on steel and aluminum imports, effective Monday. Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One on his way to the NFL Super Bowl on Sunday, Trump announced that the tariffs would be set at 25% on all steel and aluminum imports entering the U.S.
Trump explained the rationale behind these tariffs, stating, “Very simply, if you charge us, we charge them.” He further emphasized that any steel entering the U.S. will be subject to a 25% tariff, and the same will apply to aluminum imports.
Earlier, during a press conference with Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, Trump indicated that the new tariffs were part of a broader approach to ensure fair trade. “I’ll be announcing that next week, reciprocal trade so that we’re treated evenly with other countries,” he said, adding, “We don’t want any more, any less.”
Trump had previously threatened to impose a universal tariff ranging between 10% and 20% and had instructed his administration to review this option as part of an ongoing trade review, due by April 1. The President reiterated that the new tariffs would apply to all countries, though he did not specify whether any exclusions would be made.
He also pointed out that in many cases, the U.S. currently faces lower tariffs than other countries on products like cars, where the U.S. tariff is only 2.5%. “I think that’s the only fair way to do it, that way nobody’s hurt,” Trump remarked, stressing that the approach would be based on reciprocity.
During his presidential campaign, Trump had proposed the Reciprocal Trade Act, which would allow him to increase tariffs on foreign goods to match the tariffs those countries impose on U.S. goods. In a campaign video, he had stated, “Under the Trump Reciprocal Trade Act, other countries will have two choices – they’ll get rid of their tariffs on us, or they will pay us hundreds of billions of dollars, and the United States will make an absolute FORTUNE.”
Trump further clarified his stance by saying, “If India, China, or any other country hits us with a 100 or 200 percent tariff on American-made goods, we will hit them with the same exact tariff. In other words, 100 percent is 100 percent. If they charge us, we charge them — an eye for an eye, a tariff for a tariff, same exact amount.”
