Trump opens new trade battle with potential copper tariffs

February 26, 2025 (MLN): U.S. President Donald Trump opened yet another front in his assault on global trade norms, ordering a new probe into possible new tariffs on copper imports to rebuild U.S. production of a metal critical to electric vehicles, military hardware, semiconductors and a wide range of consumer goods.

Trump, aiming to counter what his advisers view as China's attempt to dominate the global copper market, signed an order directing Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick to launch a new national security probe.

The investigation will be conducted under Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962, the same law Trump used in his first term to impose 25% global tariffs on steel and aluminum, as Reuters reported.

A White House official said any potential tariff rate would be determined by the investigation, adding that Trump preferred tariffs over quotas.

White House trade adviser Peter Navarro said the investigation would be completed quickly, "in Trump time."

Navarro said China was using state subsidies and economic influence to gain control over global copper production, in much the same way it now dominates steel and aluminum production.

That said, the countries set to be most affected by any new U.S. copper tariffs would be Chile, Canada and Mexico, which were the top suppliers of refined copper and copper articles in 2024, according to U.S. Census Bureau data.

"Like our steel and aluminum industries, our great American copper industry has been decimated by global actors attacking our domestic production," Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said in a statement.

"To build back our copper industry, I will investigate the imposition of possible tariffs."

Lutnick said U.S. industries and national defense depended on copper and "it should be made in America, no exemptions, no exceptions."

"It's time for copper to come home," Lutnick said.

The White House official said the investigation would look at imports of raw mined copper, copper concentrates, copper alloy, scrap copper and derivative products made from the metal.

The official declined to identify any specific derivatives, saying that would prejudge the investigation.

A White House official said the Department of Energy recognized copper as a critical material in the medium term due to increased demand for solar energy technologies, global electrification, noting that it was the second most widely used material in U.S. weapons platforms.

The official stated that, given the current demand for electric vehicles and power-intensive artificial intelligence applications, the U.S. will face a copper shortage in the future.

They added that the country cannot develop sufficient copper smelting and refining capacity without a reasonable certainty of long-term trade protection for the sector.

The move is the latest effort by Trump to build a tariff wall around the U.S. economy as part of his drive to rebuild a long-declining U.S. manufacturing base and redraw decades of trade relationships.

Trump said on Monday that separate 25% general tariffs on imports from Mexico and Canada were "on schedule" ahead of a March 4 implementation deadline despite efforts by both to avoid them by securing their U.S. borders and halting the flow of fentanyl, the deadly opioid.

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