U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday signed an executive order to raise tariffs on steel and aluminum imports to 25 percent, sparking widespread outrage and prompting retaliatory measures from major trading partners, including the European Union, Canada and Mexico.
The new tariffs will take effect on March 4 and will carry out "without exceptions or exemptions."
"That's all countries, no matter where it comes from, all countries," Trump told reporters. He later said he would give "great consideration" to Australia's request for an exemption to the steel tariffs due to that country's trade deficit with the U.S.
Trump will also impose a new North American standard requiring steel imports to be "melted and poured" and aluminum to be "smelted and cast" within the region to curb U.S. imports of minimally processed metals from other countries that circumvent other tariffs.
The action also extends the tariffs to downstream products that use foreign-made steel, including fabricated structural steel, aluminum extrusions and steel strand for pre-stressed concrete, a White House official said.
Signing the order at the White House, Trump said he would follow Monday's action with announcements about reciprocal tariffs on all countries that impose duties on U.S. goods over the next two days. He added he was also looking at tariffs on cars, semiconductor chips and pharmaceuticals.
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