Trump’s 50 Percent Tariffs on Steel, Aluminum Take Effect, Aimed at Boosting US Production

By doubling the levies, foreign companies ‘can no longer get over the fence,’ Trump said.

Rolls of steel at U.S. Steel–Irvin Works in the Pittsburgh suburb of West Mifflin, Pa., on May 30, 2025. Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images

WASHINGTON—President Donald Trump’s 50 percent tariffs on steel and aluminum went into effect at midnight on June 4, following through on the prior week’s announcement at a U.S. Steel facility.

The measure, enacted through an executive order signed on June 2, doubles the previous 25 percent rate and is intended to boost domestic production.