Trump Unveils Unprecedented Tariff on Crucial Metal

By Staff, Agencies

US President Donald Trump has declared a 50% tariff on copper imports effective August 1, aiming to boost domestic production.

The move is part of Trump's wider tariff push targeting key sectors like steel and aluminum to reduce trade deficits, boost manufacturing, and strengthen national security.

“Copper is necessary for semiconductors, aircraft, ships, ammunition, data centers, lithium-ion batteries, radar systems, missile defense systems, and even hypersonic weapons, of which we are building many. Copper is the second most used material by the Department of Defense!” the president wrote on social media on Wednesday.

Trump has accused the Biden administration of “decimating” America’s copper industry, which he now aims to rebuild and make “dominant” again. The previous US government canceled or suspended several significant mining projects over environmental and Indigenous land concerns.

Trump added that a “robust” national security review concluded that tariffs were necessary to secure supply chains.

The countries most affected are expected to be Chile, Canada, and Mexico, which were America’s top suppliers of refined copper and copper products in 2024, according to Census Bureau data.

Despite having the world’s seventh-largest copper reserves, the US relies on imports for nearly half its refined copper due to limited refining capacity. A 2024 S&P Global report found it takes nearly 29 years to open a new mine—longer than anywhere except Zambia.

Though copper has faced trade measures before, the new 50% tariff is unprecedented. Critics warn it may raise costs without boosting output.

“The reality of the US copper market is that it will be extremely difficult to get a meaningful boost to copper mining and processing in both the short and long terms,” wrote Reuters’ Clyde Russell.