Signs steel and aluminum tariffs invoking national security

Trump signed a proclamation imposing 25% tariffs on imported steel and 10% on aluminum, claiming cheap imports threatened “national security.” At the same time he carved out exemptions for Canada and Mexico and dangled more carve-outs as leverage, undercutting the national-security rationale while stoking a trade conflict with allies.

"Steel is steel. You don’t have steel, you don’t have a country." — Tariff signing ceremony, March 8, 2018