Commerce secretary said the copper-related tariffs will be imposed for national security reasons.
President Donald Trump intends to impose tariffs on copper imports, according to Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, who said that Trump’s trade policy plan for industrial metals—including aluminum and steel—is to build a strong domestic production capability as part of his vision for a “great, great America.”
Lutnick told Fox News on March 12 that nothing will stop Trump’s expanded 25 percent tariffs on aluminum and steel, which the commerce secretary said must be made in the United States for national security reasons, along with semiconductors and pharmaceuticals.
“We can’t be in a war and rely on steel and aluminum from some other country. I mean, it’s just not reasonable,” Lutnick said. “So the president wants steel and aluminum in America, and let me be clear, nothing is going to stop that until we’ve got a big, strong domestic steel and aluminum capability. And by the way, he’s going to add copper to that mix too.”
In late February, Trump directed Lutnick to initiate a Section 232 national security investigation to assess the potential need for tariffs on copper imports, the same legal authority used for steel and aluminum duties.
“Copper is a critical material essential to the national security, economic strength, and industrial resilience of the United States,” Trump wrote in a Feb. 25 executive order.
China now controls more than 50 percent of global copper smelting capacity and holds four of the top five biggest refining facilities, according to a White House fact sheet. At the same time, America’s dependence on copper imports has risen from nearly zero in 1991 to 45 percent of total consumption in 2024, increasing supply chain security risks.
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“This dominance, coupled with global overcapacity and a single producer’s control of world supply chains, poses a direct threat to United States national security and economic stability,” Trump stated in the order, referring to Chinese dominance of copper supply.
Trump’s order directed Lutnick—in consultation with the Secretary of Defense, the Secretary of Interior, and the Secretary of Energy—to evaluate the national security risks associated with copper import dependency, and consider whether tariffs are appropriate.
At the time, Lutnick said “tariffs can help build back our American copper industry, if necessary, and strengthen our national defense,” adding that it’s “time for copper to come home.”
Trump trade adviser Peter Navarro warned that China is using industrial overcapacity and subsidies to dominate global copper markets, similar to its strategies in steel and aluminum.
Navarro projected that ramping up production at key sites could increase U.S. copper output by 70 percent and reduce import reliance to 30 percent by 2035.
“Our copper potential is untapped,” Navarro said.
Emel Akan contributed to this report.
