New Trade Era Begins as Trump Implements 25% Tariffs on Steel and Aluminum

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WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump officially increased tariffs on all steel and aluminum imports to 25% on March 12, promising that the taxes would help create U.S. factory jobs at a time when his seesawing tariff threats are jolting the stock market and raising fears of an economic slowdown.

Trump removed all exemptions from his 2018 tariffs on the metals, in addition to increasing the tariffs on aluminum from 10%. His moves, based off a February directive, are part of a broader effort to disrupt and transform global commerce. The U.S. president has separate tariffs on Canada, Mexico and China, with plans to also tax imports from the European Union, Brazil and South Korea by charging “reciprocal” rates starting on April 2.

The EU announced its own countermeasures on March 12. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said that as the United States was “applying tariffs worth $28 billion, we are responding with countermeasures worth 26 billion euros,” or about $28 billion. Those measures, which cover not just steel and aluminum products, but also textiles, home appliances and agricultural goods, are due to take effect on April 1.

Trump told CEOs in the Business Roundtable on March 11 that the tariffs were causing companies to invest in U.S. factories. The 8% drop in the S&P 500 stock index over the past month on fears of deteriorating growth appears unlikely to dissuade him, as Trump argued that higher tariff rates would be more effective at bringing back factories.

An employee covers a stack of aluminum billets at a casting center in Saguenay, Quebec. (Christinne Muschi)

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