Updated May 31, 2025 at 9:26 AM EDT
WEST MIFFLIN, Pa. — President Trump told a crowd at the U.S. Steel plant outside of Pittsburgh on Friday that he is doubling tariffs on imported steel, making the announcement as he celebrated a multibillion dollar deal between the iconic American steelmaker and the Japanese company Nippon Steel.
"We are going to be imposing a 25% increase. 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," Trump said. "Nobody's going to get around that."
He did not say when the increase would take effect.
Trump made the announcement while touting the deal between U.S. Steel and Nippon as a "planned partnership" and a major win for American manufacturing — even as the details of what's actually in the agreement remain far from clear.
The prospect of an agreement between the two steel giants has been a matter of debate for more than a year. Former President Joe Biden and then-candidate Trump both opposed the deal during the campaign. Biden later blocked the sale in January before he left office, citing concerns about national security.
But President Trump has changed his tune, announcing on his social media site Truth Social last week that the $14 billion deal will keep U.S. Steel in the U.S. and create "at least 70,000 jobs."
Speaking outside of Pittsburgh on Friday, Trump promised there will be no U.S Steel layoffs as a result of the Nippon Steel deal and that all steel workers will receive a $5,000 bonus. He went on to say U.S. Steel "will continue to be controlled by the USA."
"This is an incredible deal for American steel workers, and it includes vital protections to ensure that all steel workers will keep their jobs at all facilities in the United States will remain open and thriving," Trump said. "U.S. Steel will maintain all of its current operating blast furnaces at full capacity for a minimum of the next 10 years, and we have that as a commitment."
Additional details about what's in the deal have been sparse, though. Trump himself seemed to tell reporters last weekend that the deal wasn't final.
"You know we'll see what the final is, but they're going to invest billions of dollars in steel, and it's a good company, Nissan, it's a very good company, but we'll see," Trump told reporters, apparently mixing up the name of the company with the Japanese car company Nissan.
"But it's an investment and a partial ownership and it will be controlled by the USA," he said.
The United Steelworkers union said in a statement that it did not participate in discussions around the deal "nor were we consulted."
"Whatever the deal structure, our primary concern remains with the impact that this merger of U.S. Steel into a foreign competitor will have on national security, our members and the communities where we live and work," the union said.
Speculation ahead of the celebration
The White House did not respond to questions ahead of the event about the structure of the deal.
U.S. Steel released a statement after the deal was announced praising Trump for his leadership and committing to further investments in the U.S. But the company has not filed any forms with the Securities and Exchange Commission, nor has it released any details about the agreement.
"U. S. Steel will remain American, and we will grow bigger and stronger through a partnership with Nippon Steel that brings massive investment, new technologies and thousands of jobs over the next four years," the statement read.
Andrew Fulton, a spokesman for U.S. Steel, said he was unable to provide any further information when reached for comment on Thursday.
That has left market analysts who advise investors to speculate. Several industry specialists told NPR they were skeptical that the agreement was substantially different from a structure proposed by Nippon Steel in 2024 for the acquisition of U.S. Steel.
"No matter how the government and or the non-answers from U.S. Steel want to position this, this is an acquisition," said Gordon Johnson, CEO of GLJ research. "It's very clearly an acquisition."
Others speculated that the discussion of a partnership may be a way to obscure Trump's reversal on the plan. Phil Gibs at Key Bank Capitol Markets said the vague statements seem to be intentional.
"It has to be purposely opaque because there have been so many missteps, misfires, lawsuits, political interference and then we finally get to what looks to a conclusion and we're even questioning the conclusion," he said.
Political gain in Pennsylvania
This is one of Trump's first domestic trips since returning to office and it is no mistake that he is heading to Pennsylvania. The state helped deliver him the presidency in 2024 and remains a critical state for Republicans as they prepare for the midterm elections next year.
The trip also provides the president an opportunity to underscore a major theme of the first few months of his second term: bringing foreign investment to the U.S. through onshoring manufacturing.
But the murky details of the agreement may complicate his victory lap. The United Steel Workers union released a statement this week questioning the deal.
"At this time, we cannot say whether the 'planned partnership' described in Friday's message on Truth Social or news reports since then represents any meaningful change from the merger proposed in 2023, under which Nippon Steel would acquire U.S. Steel and make it a wholly owned subsidiary," the statement said. "Our core concerns about Nippon Steel — a foreign-owned corporation with a documented history of violating U.S. trade laws — remain as strong and valid today as ever, and that is so whether U.S. Steel and Nippon adhere to the same deal that they have pursued since December 2023 or whether they tweak the terms to satisfy concerns in Washington."
Democratic politicians from the state, including Gov. Josh Shapiro, are offering very tentative statements. Speaking to reporters at an event on Tuesday, Shapiro offered a cautious take.
"I'm cautiously optimistic today, after the President's statement last week," he said. "There's still no deal signed, and there's still a lot of work that needs to be done."
Politicians and analysts all said they'll be watching the president's trip, looking for some clues about the details.
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