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After an exhaustive investigation by the Department of Commerce under Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act, President Trump is imposing significant tariffs on imported copper. This critical material is as essential now to America’s economic and national security as oil, electricity, and semiconductors.
Indeed, in an era defined by artificial intelligence, grid modernization, and advanced computing, copper has become indispensable for technological innovation and defense. Our military systems—from aircraft and submarines to advanced weaponry—rely heavily on copper, as do essential civilian sectors, including the electrical grid, telecommunications networks, and cutting-edge manufacturing.
Despite copper’s strategic importance, America’s copper industry continues to be hollowed out by unfair foreign trade practices—including state-subsidized overcapacity and below-cost dumping by countries like China, Vietnam, and India to export manipulation and predatory pricing by countries like Chile, Peru, and Mexico. These practices, often violating WTO rules, depress global copper prices and discourage investment in domestic smelting and refining facilities. Combined with burdensome domestic regulations, this has left America dangerously reliant on foreign sources for a metal critical to our defense and economic security.
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Once a global leader in copper mining, refining, and manufacturing, the U.S. now faces a perilous dependence on imports. Our refining capacity alone has declined by 56 percent since the late 1990s, forcing us into the absurd position of exporting raw copper ore and scrap overseas, only to re-import finished products. This isn’t merely inefficient—it’s strategically reckless.
The trade deficit in copper-intensive downstream products underscores our vulnerability. Between 2010 and 2024, this deficit surged from $4.8 billion to a staggering $19.4 billion, a 302 percent increase. Last year alone, America imported nearly a million metric tons of refined copper to meet basic domestic needs. Every pound of copper imported is a pound we could and should be processing right here at home, creating American jobs and securing our supply chains.
This troubling dependence is compounded by global overcapacity in copper refining, predominantly fueled by state-subsidized overproduction abroad. The result? America has become dangerously reliant on foreign sources for a metal integral to our defense and economic security.
To address this threat, President Trump, acting decisively under Section 232 authority, has imposed tariffs designed to rebuild and safeguard America’s copper supply chains. Specifically, the President is implementing an immediate 50 percent tariff on imported semi-finished copper products and intensive copper derivative products. Additionally, refined copper imports will face a phased tariff—starting at 15 percent in 2027 and increasing to 30 percent in 2028. These measured steps will provide critical breathing room for U.S. companies to ramp up domestic refining and processing capabilities.
Trump Tariff “panicans” will inevitably complain about costs and economic disruption. But let’s be clear: these tariffs represent a modest and necessary premium compared to the enormous risks posed by continued dependence on foreign copper.
We’ve learned from prior Section 232 actions on steel and aluminum that tariffs can successfully revitalize critical industries. Those actions attracted billions of dollars in new investment, restored domestic capacity, created thousands of jobs, and secured crucial materials for our military and infrastructure.
The tariffs on copper will yield similar results. They will catalyze the revival of domestic refining and smelting capabilities, incentivize investment in new technologies, and put Americans back to work in states across our great land producing the copper we desperately need.
The United States holds abundant copper reserves—enough to fully meet domestic demand for approximately 40 years. Arizona alone hosts some of the country’s largest deposits, including the Morenci mine, one of North America’s most productive copper sources.
Revitalizing America’s copper industry means revitalizing American communities. From copper mines in Arizona and Montana to smelters and processing plants in Utah, Texas, and Indiana, these tariffs will help create thousands of high-paying, blue-collar jobs. Investments will flow into exploration, refining, and downstream manufacturing—boosting local economies and rebuilding the industrial heartland. This is economic nationalism for national security’s sake.
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In an era defined by strategic competition and supply chain vulnerabilities, we cannot afford passive reliance on foreign producers who harm our country with their massive exports. The COVID-19 pandemic exposed the critical risks of relying on foreign supply chains, underscoring the need to strengthen domestic production capabilities for strategic materials like copper.
These new Trump copper tariffs will help reduce America’s persistent trade deficit and safeguard our economy against dangerous supply interruptions during geopolitical tensions or future global crises. Domestic production of critical materials like copper is not just sound economics; it’s imperative to maintain our sovereignty and security.
America’s copper industry—and the American workers who sustain it—have waited far too long for decisive action. By invoking Section 232, President Trump is taking exactly that kind of decisive, bold action to put American security first.
President Trump’s message is clear: the United States will no longer tolerate economic policies that hollow out our industries and jeopardize national security. With these copper tariffs, we’re taking a critical step to protect our economy, rebuild our industry, and ensure our national security.
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