On Friday, President Trump told steelworkers in Pennsylvania that he is making the tax on steel from other countries 50%. He said this will help keep their jobs safe, but it might also make steel more expensive for things like cars and houses.

Later, he wrote on his social media page that taxes on aluminum would also go up to 50%. He said these higher taxes 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 put money into the well-known American steel company. We will get more details about this later.

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

He said, "I need to agree to the final deal with Nippon. We haven't seen it yet, but they have promised a lot of money, and it's a big investment.

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

We don't know if the agreement his team helped with is finished or how the company will be owned. Nippon Steel still wants to buy U.S. Steel completely. They also said they would put more money into U.S. Steel factories and promised not to fire workers or close plants. They did this while waiting for the government to approve the purchase.

Today, we are here to celebrate an important agreement. This agreement will help this well-known American company stay American, Trump said at a U.S. Steel building. He also asked, "You will stay an American company, won't you?"

Trump said that if they double the taxes on steel from other countries, it will make the steel industry in the U.S. much safer. But this big tax 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 a government report.

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

Experts say that taxes on steel, which began when Trump was president, helped the steel industry in the US. Nippon Steel wanted to use this good situation when they offered to buy U.S. Steel.

The United Steelworkers union was still not sure.

David McCall, the union's president, said they are very worried about what will happen to the country's safety, their members, and the towns where they live and work if U.S. Steel joins a foreign company.

Trump said that America would keep control of the famous company. This company is important for the country's supplies, like making cars, and for national safety.

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

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

Politicians who know about the plan say that Nippon will buy U.S. Steel. Nippon will also spend a lot of money on U.S. Steel's factories in Pennsylvania, Indiana, Alabama, Arkansas, and Minnesota. Most of the people who manage the company will be Americans. The U.S. government will have a special power to stop things if it needs to.

The steelworkers in the union had different ideas about Nippon Steel buying their company at first. But now, many of them think it is okay because they believe U.S. Steel would close their factories near Pittsburgh anyway.

Clifford Hammonds, who works at the factory where Trump spoke, said the deal will probably help improve the old factory and make more products.

We are putting money into the factory to make it better because it is old and broken. We are not making enough things because the factory is old. We need to spend money to fix our machines,

This issue is very important for Trump. Last year, he said many times that he would stop the deal and not let foreign companies own U.S. Steel. Joe Biden, who was president before, also said this.

Trump said he would make American factories strong again if he became president a second time. What happens to U.S. Steel, a very big company before, could cause problems for his party in the next elections, especially 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 the U.S. He also said that the company will keep its main office in Pittsburgh.

The president finished speaking on Friday by thanking the people who work with steel.

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 decide what happens to us. We will use steel from Pennsylvania to make America strong again, like we have not done before."

Recently, Trump and other US officials started to talk about Nippon Steel's plan to invest $14 billion. This is in addition to their first offer of $14.9 billion. They also want to build a new steel factory in the US.

On Friday, some U.S. Steel workers joined him on stage. One of them was Jason Zugai, who is a leader at the Irvin factory. These workers supported Nippon Steel's plan to buy U.S. Steel, even though their main union did not agree.

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

Zugai told Trump, "I knew you would help us." He also said that Nippon Steel's plan to invest $14 billion in making steel in the U.S. would change many lives.