Washington, Feb. 10 (EFE) – United States President Donald Trump signed two executive orders on Monday to impose a 25% tariff on aluminum and steel imports.
“This is a big deal, the beginning of making America rich again,” the president said from the Oval Office after signing the order, which will affect Mexico, Canada, and Brazil.
The White House assured that the tariffs will be applied globally and that there will be no exceptions for any country when it comes to steel and aluminum imports.
The US imports most of its steel from Canada, followed by Mexico, South Korea, Brazil and Vietnam, according to the American Iron and Steel Institute.
Two-thirds of US aluminum imports come from Canada, according to the Aluminum Association.
During his first term (2017-2021), Trump imposed 25% tariffs steel imports and 10% on aluminum, although he later granted exemptions to countries including Australia, Brazil, Canada and Mexico.
Trump had announced the new tariffs on steel and aluminum in remarks to reporters on Sunday aboard the presidential plane, Air Force One, before attending the Super Bowl final in New Orleans, Louisiana.
Trump also said he would likely announce reciprocal tariffs on Tuesday or Wednesday to match levies imposed by several countries on US exports.
He did not specify which countries would be targeted by the reciprocal tariffs; however, he has repeatedly criticized the European Union’s 10% tariff on imported cars, far higher than the 2.5% levied by the United States.
Monday’s announcement was another example of Trump’s tariff strategy to extract concrete concessions on trade, migration and security issues.
In January, Trump announced tariffs on Colombian goods after President Gustavo Petro refused to accept a flight of deported migrants in chains but backtracked when Colombia agreed to continue receiving the deportation flights.
Last week, he announced 25% tariffs on Canada and Mexico, then backtracked after reaching an agreement with both countries to tighten border controls and curb fentanyl trafficking and migrant arrivals.
However, he imposed an additional 10% tariff on China, on top of those already in place since his first term on products from the Asian giant, prompting Beijing to announce more levies in retaliation. EFE
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