WASHINGTON, July 9 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that the 50 percent tariff on copper, which he announced earlier this week, will start on Aug. 1.
"I am announcing a 50% TARIFF on Copper, effective August 1, 2025, after receiving a robust NATIONAL SECURITY ASSESSMENT," Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social.
As "the second most used material by the Department of Defense," Trump said, copper is "necessary" for semiconductors, aircraft, ships, ammunition, data centers, lithium-ion batteries, radar systems, missile defense systems and hypersonic weapons.
"America will, once again, build a DOMINANT Copper Industry," Trump said.
The United States imports nearly half of the copper it uses, most of which comes from Chile, said the CNBC, citing data from the U.S. Geological Survey.
At a Cabinet meeting Tuesday, Trump announced a new tariff of 50 percent on copper, adding that he is still planning tariffs on select industries, including drugs, semiconductors and metals.
In early June, Trump raised the tariff on steel and aluminum imports from 25 percent to 50 percent. ■