Trump announces he will raise tariffs on steel and aluminum from 25% to 50%.

BarcelonaDonald Trump's trade war continues. The US president announced this morning that tariffs on steel imports The tariffs imposed last March will be doubled, rising from 25% to 50%. "It will further secure industry in the country," he stated at a rally held at the US Steel mill in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Shortly afterward, in a message on social media, Trump added that the tariff increase will also affect aluminum and that the entire measure will take effect next Wednesday. This measure would affect the sales of 427 Catalan companies in this market, according to calculations by Acció, the agency for the competitiveness of the company of the Generalitat.

As Trump himself explained, he initially considered raising them to 40%, but executives in the industrial sector asked him to go to 50%. The Republican leader celebrated the fact that the steel and aluminum workers, present in the audience at the event, understand "the word tariff better than the people on Wall Street." In fact, he has said that tariff is his fourth favorite word after God, wife and family. However, he added that these tariffs will be "a major shock" that will bring "great news" to US workers.

The European Commission lashed out at Trump this Saturday, after learning of the announcement. According to ACN, sources close to a Commission spokesperson have lamented this decision and maintain that it "adds greater uncertainty to the global economy" and "increases costs for consumers and businesses" on both sides of the Atlantic. The same sources warn that this announcement "undermines the efforts being made to reach a negotiated solution," and warn that the EU "is prepared to impose countermeasures," also in response to this latest US tariff increase. Brussels emphasizes that it already suspended "in good faith" its countermeasures to Trump's tariff policy on April 14, with the aim of creating "a space to continue negotiations."

The European Commission is finalizing a consultation process on the expansion of its countermeasures, and Brussels warns that if a "mutually acceptable solution" is not reached, both existing and additional EU measures will "automatically" enter into force on July 14, "or earlier," depending on the circumstances. The same sources emphasize that the Commission's position has been "clear" in defending the interests of the EU, its workers, consumers, and its industry.

Local investment

During his speech in Pittsburgh, Trump also announced a major $14 billion investment by Nippon Steel in the region. The US president emphasized that US Steel, despite being acquired by a Japanese multinational, will retain its name, headquarters, and production in the United States. He described the investment as the largest in history in Pennsylvania and in the US steel industry.

Trump's announcement took place just the day after the Court of Appeals lift the Court of International Trade's blockade of a large part of the U.S. administration's tariff policy on imports from many countries. This blockade would not have affected steel tariffs, but rather those announced on April 2, which consist of a global 10% tariff on virtually all U.S. trading partners.