WASHINGTON: The United States will move to impose 25 per cent tariffs on steel and aluminium imports on Monday (Feb 10), President Donald Trump said on Sunday, the latest in a slew of trade levies the US leader has announced.
Trump made the announcement on board Air Force One en route to attend the Super Bowl American football championship game in New Orleans, according to a White House pool report.
Trump has repeatedly expressed his approval of tariffs, wielding them as a means to get other countries to make policy changes in line with his priorities.
In his first weeks in office, the US leader slapped tariffs on China and ordered them on Mexico and Canada.
He paused the measures against Canada and Mexico for a month after both countries vowed to step up measures to counter flows of the drug fentanyl and the crossing of undocumented migrants into the United States.
The tariffs on China drew retaliatory measures from Beijing, with 15 per cent duties imposed on US coal and liquefied natural gas and 10 per cent levies on crude oil, machinery, pickup trucks and vehicles such as sports cars with large-displacement engines.
He has also pledged tariffs on the European Union and said that he would soon announce unspecified “reciprocal tariffs”.
He has also promised tariffs on semiconductors, oil and gas.
