President Donald Trump signed an executive order Tuesday directing the Commerce Department to open an investigation into new potential tariffs for copper imports.
The move came after the president placed 25% tariffs on steel and aluminum imports earlier and announced plans for a new reciprocal tariff strategy.
However, unlike Trump’s previous tariff announcements, White House officials said the copper investigation was prompted by a national security threat, not trade imbalances.
TRUMP TAKES EXECUTIVE ACTION TO FORTIFY TARIFF AGENDA AND COUNTER CHINA
“What we know is we’re steadily losing melting and refining capacity, both in absolute and relative terms,” a senior White House official said Tuesday, noting both copper and copper wiring’s prevalence in U.S. military equipment and the rapid rate at which the world is “increasingly being electrified.”
White…
