Trump announces 25% tariffs on all imports of steel and aluminum 

Canada and Mexico are top US metal suppliers

Canada is the top supplier of steel and aluminum to the U.S., supplying about $11 billion in steel and $9 billion in aluminum annually. (Photo: Jim Allen/FreightWaves)

President Donald Trump said that on Monday he will impose a 25% import tax on all steel and aluminium entering the U.S., a move that would have the largest impact on trade partners Canada and Mexico.

“Any steel coming into the United States is going to have a 25% tariff,” Trump told reporters Sunday on Air Force One as he flew to New Oreans for the Super Bowl, according to the CBC. “Aluminum, too, will be subject to the trade penalties.”

The tariffs would hit Canada and Mexico the hardest — two neighbors that have already been threatened with tariffs by the Trump administration.

The U.S. imports about $11 billion in steel and $9 billion in aluminum annually from Canada, according to Bloomberg. Mexico was second for steel at $6.5 billion and third for aluminum at about $686 million.

Trump during his first term imposed tariffs of 25% on steel and 10% on aluminum but later granted duty-free exemptions to several trading partners, including Canada, Mexico and Brazil.

Canadian Industry Minister François-Philippe Champagne said in a post on X that “Canadian steel and aluminum support key industries in the U.S. from defence, 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.”

Trump also said he will impose reciprocal tariffs by Tuesday or Wednesday in cases in which another country has levied duties on U.S. goods.
“And very simply, it’s, if they charge us, we charge them,” Trump said, according to Reuters.

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Noi Mahoney

Noi Mahoney is a Texas-based journalist who covers cross-border trade, logistics and supply chains for FreightWaves. He graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a degree in English in 1998. Mahoney has more than 20 years experience as a journalist, working for newspapers in Maryland and Texas. Contact nmahoney@freightwaves.com