While the move is aimed at strengthening domestic production, it carries implications for the wider economy, given that the U.S. relies on imports to meet a large portion of demand for the metals in sectors such as construction, auto manufacturing, drinks packaging and the production of military equipment. …In 2018, during his first term in the White House, Trump imposed tariffs of 25% on steel imports and 10% on aluminum imports. Today, US industries say they’re still struggling to compete with imports. More broadly, trade frictions in the global steel and aluminum sectors have grown in the past year amid a renewed flood of product from China. …Canada could bear the brunt of tariffs as the top supplier of both metals to its southern neighbor. …In 2024, the output of the U.S. steel industry was 1% lower than it had been in 2017, before the first round of Trump tariffs, and the aluminum industry produced almost 10% less.