Donald Trump doubles tariffs on steel imported to the US by 50%
30 May 2025, 23:27 | Updated: 31 May 2025, 06:00
Tariffs on steel imported into the United States will double to 50%, President Donald Trump has announced.
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“We are going to be imposing a 25% increase,” Trump told reporters at a US Steel facility in Pennsylvania on Friday.
“We’re going to bring it from 25% to 50%, the tariffs on steel into the United States of America, which will even further secure the steel industry in the United States.
"Nobody’s going to get around that,” he added.
He said that he was previously considering a 40% tariff, but was told by industry bosses they wanted a 50% tariff.
“At 25% they can sorta get over that fence,” he said, adding: “At 50% nobody’s getting over that fence.”
It comes after a temporary pause was put on a lower-court ruling that blocked most of Trump's tariffs earlier this week.
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A ruling by the US Court of International Trade found that the President did not have the unilateral authority to issue tariffs for nearly every country.
On Wednesday night, three federal court judges blocked his global tariffs as result. But the Trump administration told the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit it would seek “emergency relief” from the Supreme Court as early as Friday if the ruling was not quickly paused.
The judgement has now been “temporarily stayed until further notice while this court considers the motions papers,” the appeals court's order said.
It means the tariffs will stay in place while the case makes its way through the courts.
Trump slapped down a 10% tariff on almost every country earlier this year, sparking turmoil in global markets.He also imposed higher rates for some countries including Mexico, Canada and China.
The industry-specific tariff on steel has now surged to 50%, up from 25%. Other industries like aluminium and cars have also previously had tariffs imposed.