United States President Donald Trump signed an executive order placing a 25% tariff on steel and aluminum imports, as he had previously announced.
Furthermore, Trump ruled out the possibility of exemptions or exceptions to the newly imposed duties. The tariffs will apply to all countries although Trump also stated that an exemption for Australia will be considered after his phone call with the latter country's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.
At the same time, Trump warned the tariffs could be higher, stating reciprocal tariffs would also be levied in the next 48 hours. The president replied he would not mind if other countries responded with retaliatory tariffs. "We want tariffs to be fair, if they charge us, we charge them," he concluded.
