WASHINGTON — President Trump will announce 25% tariffs on steel and aluminum imports later Monday, he revealed over the weekend.
Trump, 78, also told reporters aboard Air Force One en route to New Orleans for Super Bowl LIX Sunday afternoon that he would announce reciprocal tariffs — in which the US will charge “every country” the same tariff rate they levy on America — on Tuesday or Wednesday.
President Trump speaks to the press after signing a proclamation renaming the Gulf of Mexico the Gulf of America aboard Air Force One as it flies over the gulf en route to New Orleans, Louisiana, on Feb. 9, 2025. AFP via Getty Images“Very simply it’s, if they charge us, we charge them,” the president said of the reciprocal tariff plan.
“It won’t affect everybody, because there are some where we have similar tariffs, but the ones that are taking advantage of the United States, we’re going to have a reciprocity,” he went on.
The latest tariff threat could throw a wrench into negotiations with Canada and Mexico, after Trump agreed last week to pause a 25% tariff for 30 days in exchange for reinforcements to stop the flow of drugs and people across the northern and southern borders.
Canada is the largest supplier of aluminum to the US — accounting for 79% of imports in 2024 — and is one of the top suppliers of steel.
“Canadian steel and aluminum support key industries in the U.S. [sic] from defence [sic], shipbuilding and auto. This is making North America more competitive and secure. We will continue to stand up for Canada, our workers, and our industries,” Canadian Innovation Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne posted on X following Trump’s announcement.
The ArcelorMittal Dofasco steel plant on Feb. 4, 2025, in Hamilton, Canada. Getty Images
Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba told US President Joe Biden that “strong” concerns have been raised over his decision to block Nippon Steel’s takeover of US Steel, local media reported on Jan. 13, 2025. AFP via Getty ImagesThe other top exporters of steel to the US include Brazil, Mexico, South Korea and Vietnam.
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has previously vowed to retaliate if Trump imposes tariffs on Latin America’s largest economy.
“It is very simple: if he taxes Brazilian products, there will be reciprocity,” Lula said in a press conference in January.
The left-winer also previously shot back at Trump’s pressure to keep the so-called BRICS countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Egypt, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Iran and the United Arab Emirates) from abaonding the dollar as a reserve currency, saying, “We have the right to discuss establishing trade ways that do not make us fully dependent on the dollar.”
National Economic Council Kevin Hassett told reporters outside the White House on Monday morning that an announcement on steel and aluminum should be expected “very shortly.”
When asked how he thought Canada and Mexico will react, Hasset said: “Let’s wait and see what comes out.”
As for reciprocal tariffs, Hassett said Trump had discussed imposing them since his first election in 2016. “He thinks that it’s not fair,” Hassett said, “that we have trading partners that charge two or three times what we charge.”
With Post wires
