US President Donald Trump plans to double Zölle for the import of steel to the United States from currently 25 percent to 50 percent of the value of the goods. The additional fees for imports would strengthen the US steel industry, Trump said in a speech to employees of a steel business in the state of Pennsylvania. The Republican emphasized that “tariffs” were his absolute favorite word. Trump explained a little later on his Truth platform, and the tariffs on aluminum should also be doubled to 50 percent. The new sentences should therefore already apply from next Wednesday (June 4). Steel is used by industry, for example in the production of cars, and construction. According to the US government, the most important countries of origin are steel products introduced by Canada, Brazil and Mexico. One of the ten largest exporters to the United States is also Germany. The United States is the most important sales market for the European steel industry for the German Industry Association of the Steel industry association. Around four million tons were exported to the USA from the entire EU in 2023. From Germany alone, it is around one million tons every year, mostly special steel. Germany is therefore the largest steel producer in the EU. Aluminum imports the USA primarily from Canada, the United Arab Emirates, China and South Korea. Germany was only 16 of the most important countries of origin in 2024 – with a relatively small amount. It was not immediately clear whether there should also be exceptions in the increased tariffs – for example for Canada and Mexico, with which the USA forms a North American free trade zone. There were no exceptions for the original tariffs of 25 percent from February. Trump has already announced, threatened or already implemented numerous other tariffs. In addition to a new penalty tax of ten percent of the goods value to almost all imports, he has also announced specific, higher tariffs on imports of many countries. Large trading partners such as China and the European Union are also affected by this. Trump’s tariffs concern the courts The legality of many tariffs are currently running different processes in which no final decisions have yet been made. It is about the import taxes that refer to an emergency to reduce the US trade deficit. These are most of the tariffs enacted by Trump’s government – including the criminal levies that the Republican had announced on the “Day of Liberation” he described in early April, but also certain tariffs on goods from Canada, Mexico and China. A US court for international matters on Wednesday classified these tariffs as illegal and their quick reversal. A appellate court called by the government then allowed the tariffs to continue the tariff on Thursday, but has not yet decided on the matter. The additional taxes on the import of steel are not affected by the legal dispute. Is the highest US court ultimately decided? Trump has already made it clear that he wants to bring the dispute over the tariffs to the top court if necessary, the Supreme Court in Washington. The President postponed the majority of the nine judges at the court during his first term with several ritles far to the right. But even the conservative judges do not always decide in his sense. Many of the trading partners he took with new tariffs, including the European Union, are already negotiating with the United States to avoid new tariffs. In the case of the EU, Trump recently suspended additional tariffs of 50 percent of the imports of goods by imports until the beginning of July in order to leave more time for negotiations.
