Steel CEOs Urge Trump to Hold Firm on Tariffs
By
Metal Center News Staff on
Mar 18, 2025
Leading U.S. CEOs addressed a letter to President Trump urging him to remain firm on 25 percent steel tariffs. It said revitalizing the American steel industry is not just an economic imperative but a matter of national security.
The letter was signed by the CEOs of Nucor, Steel Dynamics, U.S. Steel, Cleveland-Cliffs, Zekelman Industries, Commercial Metals Company, Metallus, Tenaris and North American Stainless.
The letter pointed to the Section 232 tariffs of 2018 and its impact on the domestic steel industry and cautioned against some of the product-specific exclusions that followed, claiming it diluted the program’s effectiveness and exposed the U.S. steel industry to the global steel overcapacity crisis.
“Your February 10 proclamation reinstating a uniform 25 percent tariff across the board is the right response to this global challenge. We urge you to resist any requests for exceptions or exclusions and to continue standing strong on behalf of American steel,” the letter said.