Trump says 25 per cent tariffs are coming Monday for steel and aluminum imports

By Canadian Press on February 10, 2025.

WASHINGTON — U.S. President Donald Trump said he’ll impose 25 per cent tariffs on all steel and aluminum imports into the United States on Monday — and there will be no carve-outs for America’s closest neighbours.

Trump told reporters about the impending duties on Air Force 1 as he flew to New Orleans to attend Sunday’s Super Bowl. The president also said he would announce “reciprocal tariffs” later this week.

Trump did not offer many details about his latest tariff threat as his rapidly changing geopolitical agenda sets America on a new course for foreign policy and trade.

Trump is scheduled to sign executive orders in the Oval Office Monday afternoon.

Trump previously threatened to impose 25 per cent across-the-board tariffs and a lower 10 per cent levy on Canadian energy.

Trump delayed those levies until at least March 4 in response to border security commitments from both countries, saying it would allow time to reach a “final economic deal.”

Trump did not offer much relief on Sunday for Canadians hoping the delay could allow for a permanent deal ending the tariff threat for good. He told Fox News anchor Bret Baier that he was not joking about making Canada the 51st state.

While Trump’s rhetoric about American expansion is sending shock waves around the world, his most recent tariff threat is similar to actions taken under his first administration, when the president scrapped the North American Free Trade Agreement.

During negotiations on the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement, commonly dubbed “the new NAFTA,” Trump floated the idea of a 25 per cent tariff on the Canadian auto sector; it was never implemented.

He did use his national security powers to impose a 25 per cent tariff on steel imports and a 10 per cent tariff on aluminum imports in March 2018.

Nearly a year later, on May 17, 2019, the White House announced a deal had been reached to prevent “surges” in steel and aluminum supplies from Canada and Mexico, ending the trade dispute.

Some experts say Trump’s current tariff threats are likely a first step in his plan to rattle the critical trilateral trade pact ahead of a mandatory review in 2026.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 10, 2025.

Kelly Geraldine Malone, The Canadian Press