Trump's decision to investigate copper imports and new tariff message
US President Trump stated at the signing ceremony at the White House that the decree in question will have a great impact.
"Our great American copper industry, like our steel and aluminum industries, has been destroyed by global actors attacking our domestic production," said Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, who was also present at the signing ceremony.
Lutnick said he would also explore possible tariffs to rebuild the copper industry, adding that "tariffs can help rebuild the American copper industry when needed and strengthen our national defense."
"COPPER SHOULD BE PRODUCED IN AMERICA"Trump later shared the following statement on his Truth Social account: "To rebuild our copper industry, I have asked my Secretary of Commerce and the United States Trade Representative (USTR) to review copper imports and end the unfair trade that is putting Americans out of work."
Emphasizing that the tariffs would help rebuild the American copper industry and strengthen the national defense of the United States, Trump said, "American industries depend on copper, and copper should be produced in America. No exemptions, no exceptions."
Trump said his "America First" policy created jobs and protected national security, adding, "It's time for copper to 'come home.'"
THE SECOND MOST USED MATERIAL BY THE US DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSEThe White House said in a statement that the investigation will assess the national security risks arising from the United States' increasing dependence on imported copper of all kinds and the potential need for commercial solutions to protect the domestic industry.
The statement noted that as a result of the investigation, a report will be prepared identifying vulnerabilities in the copper supply chain and presenting recommendations to increase the resilience of America's domestic copper industry.
The statement noted that copper plays an important role in defense applications, infrastructure and emerging technologies such as clean energy, electric vehicles and advanced electronics, and that it is the second most used material by the Ministry of Defense.
Despite having vast copper reserves, America's smelting and refining capacity lags behind rivals such as China, which controls more than 50 percent of global smelting, the statement said.
The statement, which drew attention to the fact that the United States is not even among the top 5 countries in copper smelting capacity, stated that America's dependence on copper imports increased from almost 0 percent in 1991 to 45 percent of consumption in 2024, increasing the risks to supply chain security.
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