He said this at an event at the White House, noting a strong steel and aluminum industry is “vital to our national security.”

The tariffs will take effect in 15 days with initial exemptions for Canada and Mexico pending the renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). Trump’s tariffs on steel and aluminum imports will take effect in 15 days, with Canada and Mexico indefinitely exempted from the duties, people outside the White House who were briefed on the plans Thursday told the Associated Press. The president reiterated that he would levy tariffs of 25 percent on imported steel and 10 percent on aluminum but would “have a right to go up or down depending on the country and I’ll have a right to drop out countries or add countries. The White House official touts the 500 jobs that will be restored to steel workers in Illinois, after U.S. Steel announced that it would be restarting their factory because of the decision to impose tariffs. Business leaders, meanwhile, have continued to sound the alarm about the potential economic fallout from tariffs, with the president and CEO of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce raising the specter of a global trade war. It found that current steel and aluminum imports had the “potential to threaten our national security.”

While the protectionist plans could boost employment in steel and aluminum by 33,000, they could cost the U.S. 179,000 jobs in other areas of the economy, according to a report by consulting firm The Trade Partnership.
Citing national security reasons, U.S. President Donald Trump imposes tariffs of 25% on steel and 10% on aluminum imported from most countries. Canada and Mexico are provisionally exempt pending NAFTA renegotiations. The tariffs will take effect on March 23.