WEST MIFFLIN, Pennsylvania (AP) — In a populist gambit targeting Pennsylvania's steelworkers on Friday, President Donald Trump pledged to double tariffs on steel imports to 50% – a draconian measure poised to further inflate the price of metals crucial to the manufacture of housing, automobiles, and a panoply of other commodities.

In a post disseminated via the Truth Social platform, he augmented his initial assertion by stipulating a doubling of tariffs on aluminum, potentially reaching 50%, with both tariff hikes slated for implementation on Wednesday.

Addressing attendees at U.S. Steel's Mon Valley Works–Irvin Plant in the Pittsburgh exurbs, Trump broached the prospective Nippon Steel acquisition of the iconic American steel manufacturer, alluding to the forthcoming intricacies of the deal.

Upon his return to Washington, Trump, addressing the press, intimated that definitive approval of the accord remained outstanding, stating, "I have yet to sanction the ultimate transaction with Nippon; while I have not yet scrutinized its final iteration, they have proffered exceedingly substantial commitments and a capacious investment."

Initially vowing to thwart the acquisition of U.S. Steel, a Pittsburgh-based behemoth, by Japanese steel conglomerates, Trump has executed an about-face, unveiling a tentative accord last week predicated on a "partial ownership" stake for Nippon Steel, a move fraught with geopolitical and economic ramifications.

Nevertheless, the definitive ratification of the deal brokered by his administration remains shrouded in ambiguity, as does the prospective ownership structure; Nippon Steel has issued no formal recantation of its bid to acquire and exert plenary control over U.S. Steel as a wholly-owned subsidiary, despite amplified commitments regarding capital investment in U.S. Steel's facilities and assurances, albeit non-binding, concerning the preclusion of redundancies or plant closures throughout the acquisition's ratification process.

"Here today, we convene to commemorate a momentous accord that will ensure this iconic American enterprise remains indelibly American," Trump declared at a U.S. Steel facility, appending, "You will persist as an American entity, a certainty you can bank on, rest assured."

Trump, in addressing customs duties, posited that doubling tariffs on imported steel would "fortify the American steel industry"; however, he was cautioned that such a drastic escalation could precipitate a further surge in prices, potentially destabilizing downstream sectors reliant on affordable steel inputs.

An analysis of the U.S. Producer Price Index reveals a marked escalation in steel prices, with figures indicating a 16% surge commencing in mid-January of this year, subsequent to the inauguration of President Trump.

According to data released by the U.S. Department of Commerce, as of March 2025, the price of steel in the United States stood at $984 per metric ton, a figure substantially exceeding those in Europe ($690) and China ($392); furthermore, the U.S. domestically produced approximately three times the volume of steel it imported in the preceding year, with Canada, Brazil, Mexico, and South Korea identified as primary recipients of U.S. steel exports.

Analysts posit that the tariffs implemented from the outset of Trump's first term ostensibly bolstered the domestic steel industry, a factor Nippon Steel demonstrably sought to leverage in its proposed acquisition of U.S. Steel, intimating a calculated exploitation of the artificially inflated market conditions.

The United Steelworkers, under the staunch leadership of President David McCall, remain deeply skeptical, articulating profound anxieties in a formal statement regarding the ramifications of U.S. Steel's proposed merger with a foreign competitor, specifically citing potentially deleterious consequences for national security, the livelihoods of their membership, and the socioeconomic fabric of the communities in which they reside and operate.

Trump underscored that the present accord represents not merely a political symbol, but a linchpin in preserving American hegemony over this storied corporation – a keystone entity integral to the U.S. supply chain, automotive manufacturing, and, consequentially, national security imperatives.

Following his return to the White House, and demonstrably zealous in brokering deals and trumpeting new domestic investments, Trump endeavours to align himself with the expectations of his constituency, notably blue-collar workers whose livelihoods depend on a resurgence of American manufacturing, thereby solidifying his populist appeal through tangible economic deliverables.

U.S. Steel, while remaining reticent regarding the granular specifics of the restructured transaction for investors, and Nippon Steel, despite issuing a perfunctory statement endorsing the proposed "partnership," conspicuously omitted any substantive elaboration on the operative terms of the agreement.

According to pre-briefings conveyed by both state and federal legislators, the transaction encompasses Nippon's acquisition of U.S. Steel, coupled with a multi-billion dollar capital infusion into U.S. Steel's facilities situated across Pennsylvania, Indiana, Alabama, Arkansas, and Minnesota; furthermore, it stipulates oversight of the company by an executive and board structure predominantly composed of U.S. nationals, and is to be fortified by a U.S. government veto power—exercisable via a "golden share" mechanism.

Despite initial internal dissension regarding the Nippon Steel acquisition, unionized steelworkers reportedly experienced a palpable shift in sentiment as the creeping certitude that U.S. Steel would ultimately shutter its Pittsburgh-area plants took root.

Clifford Hammonds, a line feeder at the very factory where Trump delivered his address, posited that the arrangement, at the very least, would catalyze the rejuvenation of the antiquated plant and augment its output, elaborating: "This agreement constitutes a reinvestment of capital designated for the rehabilitation of the factory; it is, to all intents and purposes, a decrepit, crumbling edifice, and as I've stated, currently operating suboptimally. An influx of investment is critically imperative to effectuate the remediation of the machinery."

Irrespective of stipulations, this matter holds profound exigence for Trump, who last year repeatedly avowed his intent to obstruct the transaction and the expatriation of U.S. Steel’s ownership, a position concurrently espoused by his predecessor, President Joseph R. Biden.

During his campaign, Trump pledged to prioritize the revitalization of American manufacturing in his prospective second term, yet the fate of U.S. Steel, once a colossus of global industry, could constitute a salient political liability for the Republican party in contested states such as Pennsylvania and pivotal constituencies predicated on industrial manufacturing.

Donald Trump, in a categorical pronouncement issued on Sunday, asserted that any acquisition of U.S. Steel lacking the sine qua non of continued American control would be met with his disapproval, further stipulating that the corporation's headquarters must remain anchored in Pittsburgh.

In his concluding remarks on Friday, the President expressed his profound gratitude to the steelworkers, asserting, "It is through the agency of patriots such as yourselves that we shall forge our own metals, harness our indigenous energy resources, secure our self-determined future, construct our nation, and, indeed, autonomously chart our destiny; we shall, with unprecedented vigor, reinstate Pennsylvania steel as the very osseous structure upon which the American edifice stands."

Over the past several days, Trump and other U.S. officials have amplified Nippon Steel's freshly minted pledge, ancillary to their proposed $14.9 billion bid, to inject a further $14 billion into the venture and erect a greenfield electric arc furnace steel plant somewhere within U.S. borders.

Among the U.S. Steel workers who shared the stage with Trump on Friday was Jason Zuga, the vice president of the Irvin Works local union, who, defying the international union's stance, has vociferously advocated for Nippon Steel's acquisition of U.S. Steel; Zuga, whose father lost his steel mill job years prior, has aggressively lobbied local government officials and members of Congress, driven by the palpable apprehension that U.S. Steel would eventually shutter its Pittsburgh-area mills.

In a pointed address, Zhu Ji reiterated his expectation that Trump would not "fail" them, lauding Nippon Steel's proposed $14 billion investment in American steel production as a "transformative" initiative with the potential to irrevocably alter the socioeconomic landscape for stakeholders.