US to double steel and aluminium tariffs to 50%, Trump says

President Donald Trump has announced that the United States will increase tariffs on steel and aluminium imports from 25 percent to 50%, starting Wednesday.

Speaking at a rally in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Trump said the move is aimed at boosting the domestic steel industry, strengthening the national supply, and reducing reliance on China.

Trump highlighted a $14 billion (Sh1.8 trillion) investment planned for local steel production through a partnership between US Steel and Japan's Nippon Steel, although he later clarified he had not yet seen or approved the final details of the deal.

"There will be no layoffs and no outsourcing whatsoever, and every US steelworker will soon receive a well-deserved $5,000 bonus," Trump told the crowd, which was filled with steelworkers. This announcement was met with loud applause.

Addressing concerns from steelworkers about how the US-Japan partnership would respect union contracts regulating pay and hiring, Trump began by recalling how he "saved" US Steel during his first term as president in 2018 with the initial 25% tariffs.

He said increasing tariffs to 50% is necessary to ensure the survival of US Steel.

"At 50%, they can no longer get over the fence," Trump said. "We are once again going to put Pennsylvania steel into the backbone of America, like never before."

US steel manufacturing has been declining in recent years while China, India, and Japan have become the world's top producers.

The United States imports about a quarter of all steel used domestically, with Mexico and Canada being major suppliers—a situation that has frustrated Trump.

The announcement comes amid an ongoing court battle over the legality of some of Trump's global tariffs.

Although the Court of International Trade ordered a halt on certain tariffs, the tariffs on steel and aluminium remain in effect following an appeals court decision.

JoJo Burgess, a member of the United Steelworkers union and mayor of Washington, Pennsylvania, praised the announcement, saying, "It is a good day for steelworkers."

Burgess expressed hope that the partnership with Nippon Steel would support a new generation of steelworkers in the region.

While Burgess has historically voted for Democratic presidential candidates, he said, "I'm never going to disagree with something that's going to level the playing field for American manufacturing."

However, the tariffs have caused disruption to global trade and strained relationships between the US and other countries, including its closest partners.

The trade measures have intensified tensions between the US and China, triggering a series of retaliatory actions.

On Friday, Trump accused China of breaking a tariff truce agreed upon earlier this month in Geneva.

The US Trade Representative clarified that China had failed to remove certain trade barriers as promised.

China responded by urging the US to "cease discriminatory restrictions against China," without directly addressing the US claims.

China remains the world's largest steel manufacturer, responsible for over half of global steel production according to 2022 statistics from the World Steel Association.

"If you don't have steel, you don't have a country. You don't have a country, you can't make a military. What are we going to do? Say, 'Let's go to China to get our steel from the army tanks,'" Trump said at the Pittsburgh rally.