Sheinbaum: 50% steel and aluminum tariff is ‘unjust’ and ‘has no legal basis’

The United States’ 50% tariff connected imports of alloy and aluminum — which took effect contiguous — is “unjust,” “unsustainable” and “has nary ineligible basis,” President Claudia Sheinbaum said Wednesday.

Economy Minister Marcelo Ebrard said Tuesday that Mexico would question an exclusion from the tariff, which doubles the 25% work that the United States imposed connected alloy and aluminum imports successful March. If it doesn’t get one, the Mexican authorities volition denote its effect adjacent week, Sheinbaum said.

🚨 @POTUS conscionable signed the bid raising tariffs connected alloy and aluminum imports to 50%.

Here is the substance of the order:

1. On January 11, 2018, the Secretary of Commerce (Secretary) transmitted to maine a study connected the Secretary’s probe into the effect of imports of steel… https://t.co/4uwBVmd4Zj

— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) June 3, 2025

U.S. President Donald Trump announced his program to treble the tariff connected alloy and aluminum imports past Friday.

“We’re going to bring it from 25% to 50% — the tariffs connected alloy into the United States of America, which volition adjacent further unafraid the alloy manufacture successful the United States,” helium said astatine an lawsuit successful Pennsylvania.

Trump signed an enforcement bid to enforce the higher tariff connected Tuesday.

“I person determined that it is indispensable to summation the antecedently described alloy and aluminum tariffs to set the imports of alloy and aluminum articles and their derivative articles truthful that specified imports volition not endanger to impair the nationalist security,” Trump said successful the order.

“In my judgment, the accrued tariffs volition much efficaciously antagonistic overseas countries that proceed to offload low-priced, excess alloy and aluminum successful the United States marketplace and thereby undercut the competitiveness of the United States alloy and aluminum industries.”

A White House information expanse said that Trump is “taking enactment to extremity unfair commercialized practices and the planetary dumping of alloy and aluminum.”

“Foreign nations person been flooding the United States marketplace with inexpensive alloy and aluminum, often subsidized by their governments,” the White House said.

Last year, the United States and Mexico announced a bid of steps aimed astatine curbing the circumvention of erstwhile U.S. tariffs connected alloy and aluminum, peculiarly targeting products from China shipped done Mexico.

The caller 50% tariff, similar the 25% 1 it replaced, was imposed successful accordance with Section 232 of the United States Trade Expansion Act, alternatively than the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), which Trump has utilized to enforce abstracted duties connected astir countries from astir the world, including Mexico.

Brazilian alloy shaper Gerdau cancels US $600M concern successful Mexico owed to tariffs

Mexico is the world’s second-largest exporter of steel, aluminum and products derived from those metals to the United States, according to 2024 information from the U.S. Department of Commerce. The worth of those Mexican exports to the U.S. was US $34.83 cardinal past year, 2nd lone to China.

Sheinbaum: ‘It’s a measurement we see unjust’ 

Sheinbaum responded to the implementation of the higher tariff astatine her Wednesday greeting property conference.

“It’s a measurement we see unjust,” she told reporters.

“It’s a measurement for the full world, not conscionable for Mexico, the tariff is accrued for each countries of the satellite with the objection of Great Britain, which stays astatine 25%,” Sheinbaum said.

“… In the lawsuit of Mexico, firstly, it’s unjust … due to the fact that arsenic we person said respective times, Mexico imports much [from the United States] than it exports successful alloy and aluminum. Formally, a tariff is imposed erstwhile determination is simply a deficit,” she said.

“… Secondly, from our perspective, it has nary ineligible ground due to the fact that determination is simply a commercialized agreement,” Sheinbaum said, referring to the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement, oregon USMCA.

She noted that the United States imposed the alloy and aluminum tariff for nationalist information reasons, earlier highlighting that “yesterday the White House spokeswoman said determination is bully collaboration with Mexico successful each terms, including connected the contented of security.”

Sheinbaum expressed her disagreement with the 50% alloy tariff connected alloy and aluminum, referencing a speech yesterday with a White House spokeswoman, who said “there is bully collaboration with Mexico successful each terms, including connected the contented of security.” (Andrea Murcia/Cuartoscuro)

“So we don’t deliberation determination is simply a basis” to enforce the tariff connected imports from Mexico, Sheinbaum said.

She besides said that a tariff connected Mexican alloy and aluminum is “unsustainable because, arsenic is the lawsuit with cars,” products containing alloy transverse the borderline during the accumulation process.

Sheinbaum noted that she would sermon the contented with representatives of Mexico’s National Chamber of the Steel and Iron Industry connected Wednesday, and highlighted that Ebrard would conscionable with U.S. officials connected Friday.

She said that if Mexico fails to scope an statement with the United States, her authorities volition denote its effect — but not an “eye for an eye” 1 — adjacent week.

“Our work is archetypal to support the employment of Mexicans, and 2nd [to protect] the alloy industry. A 50% tariff represents a precise large interaction for the alloy industry,” Sheinbaum said.

“… We don’t hold [with the tariff], we don’t deliberation it’s conscionable oregon sustainable due to the fact that it raises the terms of everything. We anticipation to scope an agreement,” she said.

Ebrard: Steel tariff volition person to beryllium adjusted due to the fact that economical interaction volition beryllium ‘very big’ 

Ebrard told reporters connected Tuesday that helium doesn’t judge the 50% tariff tin beryllium sustained agelong term.

“As has happened with different [U.S.] tariffs, it volition person to beryllium adjusted due to the fact that the economical interaction is precise big,” helium said.

Indeed, Trump has made assorted changes to tariffs helium has announced since returning to the White House successful January. By doing so, and overmuch to his chagrin, helium gave emergence to the acronym TACO — “Trump ever chickens out.”

Ebrard described the 50% tariff connected Mexican alloy and aluminum arsenic “unjust for Mexico due to the fact that United States has a surplus” connected the commercialized of those metals.

“It doesn’t marque consciousness to enforce a tariff connected a merchandise connected which you person a surplus,” helium said, repeating an statement helium has made before.

The system curate said helium volition formally inquire for an exclusion from the tariff erstwhile helium meets with U.S. officials successful Washington D.C. connected Friday.

“How bash I spot this measure? I spot it arsenic unjust, unsustainable and inconvenient,” helium said.

Ebrard has been attempting to negociate much favorable trading conditions betwixt Mexico and the United States for months, and has made regular trips to Washington since Trump began his 2nd term.

Before the U.S. tariff connected alloy and aluminum doubled, helium had been attempting to triumph an exemption from the 25% work connected those metals arsenic good arsenic a U.S. tariff connected overseas cars.

It remains to beryllium seen whether Ebrard volition beryllium capable to get immoderate concessions from the United States authorities astatine his gathering connected Friday.

In summation to the steel, aluminum and car tariffs, Mexican goods not covered by the USMCA besides look 25% duties erstwhile entering the United States.

The United States Court of International Trade past week ruled that Trump had exceeded his authorization successful utilizing the IEEPA to enforce fentanyl trafficking-related duties connected non-USMCA compliant goods, but the U.S. authorities promptly appealed the determination and obtained a enactment connected the commercialized court’s ruling.

By Mexico News Daily main unit writer Peter Davies ([email protected])