U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick stated that President Donald Trump’s expanded 25% tariffs on steel and aluminum will remain in place until domestic production is significantly strengthened. Lutnick also revealed that Trump plans to include copper in his trade protections, marking a further escalation in U.S. trade policy.
Speaking to Fox Business Network, Lutnick said he will meet with Ontario Premier Doug Ford to “lower the temperature” between the U.S. and Canada, but that broader trade negotiations will wait until Mark Carney is fully installed as Canada’s prime minister.
“So I think it’s just to level-set things, make sure we know each other, and then we’re going to negotiate with all of Canada,” Lutnick said regarding his upcoming meeting with Ford.
Lutnick emphasized that steel and aluminum, along with semiconductors and pharmaceuticals, are essential industries that must be produced domestically for national security reasons.
“We can’t be in a war and rely on steel and aluminum from some other country. I mean, it’s just not reasonable,” he said. “So the president wants steel and aluminum in America, and let me be clear, nothing is going to stop that until we’ve got a big, strong domestic steel and aluminum capability. And by the way, he’s going to add copper to that mix too.”
In late February, Trump directed Lutnick to launch a Section 232 national security investigation to assess whether tariffs should be imposed on copper imports, the same legal mechanism used to justify duties on steel and aluminum.
