On Friday, President Trump told steelworkers in Pennsylvania that he will double the tax on steel from other countries to 50%. He wants to help their industry. This big change might make steel cost more money. Steel is used to build houses, cars, and other things.

Later, he wrote on his Truth Social page that the tax on aluminum would also go up to 50%. He said these tax increases would start on Wednesday.

Trump spoke at a U.S. Steel factory near Pittsburgh. He also talked about a new plan. A Japanese company, Nippon Steel, will invest money in the American steel company. We will get more information about this plan later.

Trump told reporters when he came back to Washington that he still needed to say yes to the deal.

He said he needs to agree to the final deal with Nippon, but they haven't seen it yet. He also said that Nippon has promised to invest a lot of money, and it's a very big investment.

Trump first said he would stop a Japanese company from buying an American steel company. But then he changed his mind and said the Japanese company could own part of it.

We don't know if the agreement his government helped make is finished, or how the company will be owned. Nippon Steel has not said they will stop trying to buy U.S. Steel completely. They still want to own all of U.S. Steel. They also offered to put more money into U.S. Steel factories and promised not to fire workers or close factories. They did this while waiting for the government to say yes to the purchase.

Today, we are here to celebrate a big agreement. This agreement will help this well-known American company stay an American company," Trump said at an event in a U.S. Steel building. "You will stay an American company, right?

Trump said that if taxes on steel from other countries are doubled, it will make the steel industry in the U.S. stronger. But this big increase could make prices go up even more.

The price of steel has gone up by 16% since Trump became president in January, according to the government's report on prices.

In March 2025, steel cost $984 for one ton in the United States. This was much more expensive than in Europe, where it cost $690, or in China, where it cost $392. The U.S. government reported this. Last year, the U.S. made about three times more steel than it bought from other countries. Most of the steel bought by the U.S. came from Canada, Brazil, Mexico, and South Korea.

Experts say that taxes on steel during Trump's first time as president helped the American steel business become stronger. Nippon Steel wanted to use this good situation when they offered to buy U.S. Steel.

The Steelworkers union still had some doubts.

David McCall, the union's president, said they are very worried. He said that if U.S. Steel joins a foreign company, it could be bad for the country's safety, for their members, and for the towns where they live and work.

Trump said that the deal would keep the famous company under American control. This company is important for politics, for the country's supplies, for industries like making cars, and for national safety.

Trump wants to make deals and bring new businesses to the U.S. since he became president again. He also wants to make the people happy who voted for him, especially factory workers, because he promised to protect American jobs.

U.S. Steel has not told investors about the new deal. Nippon Steel said they like the idea of working together, but they have not shared the details.

Politicians who know about this deal say that Nippon will buy U.S. Steel. Nippon will also spend a lot of money on U.S. Steel's factories in different states. Most of the people who lead the company will be American, and the U.S. government can stop important decisions.

The steelworkers in the union had different ideas about Nippon Steel buying their company at first. But later, they changed their minds. They started to believe that U.S. Steel would close their factories near Pittsburgh anyway.

Clifford Hammonds works at the factory where Trump spoke. He said the deal will probably help improve the old factory and make it produce more.

We are putting money back into the factory to help make it better because it is old and breaking down. We are not making as many products as we should because the factory is old and breaking down. We need to put money into fixing the machines we have.

This issue is very important for Trump. Last year, he often said he would stop the deal and not let a foreign company own U.S. Steel. Joe Biden also said the same thing.

Trump said he would help American factories if he became president again. What happens to U.S. Steel, a very big company before, could make problems for his party in the next elections. This is especially true in Pennsylvania and other states that rely on factories.

Trump said on Sunday that he would not accept the deal if U.S. Steel was not owned by an American company. He also said the company will keep its main office in Pittsburgh.

The president finished speaking on Friday by saying thank you to the steelworkers.

He said, "With your help, we will make our own metal and energy. We will make our future safe and build our country. We will control our own future." He also said, "We will use steel from Pennsylvania to make America strong again, more than ever before."

Recently, Trump and other U.S. officials started to talk about Nippon Steel's plan to invest money in the U.S. They will invest $14 billion more, and they already offered $14.9 billion. This money will help build a new steel factory in the U.S. that uses electricity.

On Friday, some workers from U.S. Steel joined him on stage. One of them was Jason Zugai, who is a leader at their local union. These workers wanted Nippon Steel to buy U.S. Steel, even though their main union did not agree with this idea.

Zugai's father lost his job at a steel factory many years ago. Zugai talked to local leaders and politicians to get their support for the deal. He believed that if they didn't help, U.S. Steel would close its factories near Pittsburgh.

Zugai told Trump that he knew Trump would help them. He also said that Nippon Steel's plan to invest $14 billion in making steel in the U.S. would greatly improve their lives.