Trump announces doubling of steel tariffs to 50 percent

The US government justifies the current tariffs on steel imports with the protection of national security. Trump has already announced, threatened, or implemented numerous other tariffs. In addition to a new punitive levy of ten percent of the value of goods on almost all imports, he has also announced specific, higher tariffs on imports from many countries. These also affect major trading partners such as China and the European Union.

Trump's tariffs keep courts busy

Various legal proceedings are currently underway regarding the legality of many of the tariffs announced by Trump, and no final decisions have yet been made. However, the additional duties on steel imports are not affected. Importing steel products into the US is likely to become even more difficult with the higher tariffs.

Many of the trading partners targeted by Trump with new tariffs, including the European Union, are already negotiating with the US to avoid tariffs through new trade agreements. In the case of the EU, Trump has recently suspended threatened additional tariffs of 50 percent of the value of imported goods until early July to allow more time for negotiations.