President Donald Trump confirmed a Thursday meeting on his proposed tariffs on steel and aluminum, announcing the decision on Thursday.
“Looking forward to 3:30 P.M. meeting today at the White House,” he wrote on Twitter. “We have to protect and build our steel and aluminum industries while at the same time showing great flexibility and cooperation toward those that are real friends and treat us fairly on both trade and the military.”
Despite Trump’s insistence on signing new tariffs, observers of the process were puzzled that the event was not on the White House schedule. Trump appears to be moving forward on the tariffs, but as Breitbart’s John Carney reported, there may be exceptions for China and Mexico depending on the success of NAFTA renegotiations.
If attempts to renegotiate NAFTA fail, Trump would lift the tariff exemptions on the two countries.