WASHINGTON TIMES: DAVID BOSSIE: Trump’s aluminum tariffs are working

In recent days, President Trump declared that America is no longer “the doormat of the world” and noted that his tariffs are “bringing in trillions of dollars from countries that took total advantage of us, for decades.” Right now, Mr. Trump is working overtime to negotiate trade deals that bring factories, jobs and prosperity back to America like never before.

Although Japan, South Korea, the European Union, Britain and many more nations have worked with the president’s team on fair trade deals, Canada remains exceedingly difficult.

While serving as Mr. Trump’s deputy campaign manager in 2016 and as an adviser during the 2020 and 2024 races, I traveled with him to small towns hollowed out by foreign countries’ cheating. I saw him look into the eyes of manufacturing workers who lost their livelihoods because of unfair foreign trade. I know our president will never stop fighting for these hardworking Americans.

In 2018, Mr. Trump imposed Section 232 tariffs on aluminum and steel imports, which helped rebuild domestic aluminum and steel manufacturing at that time. After President Biden took office, Canada surged its imports and the Biden administration failed to enforce the anti-surge provision in the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement, resulting in three U.S. aluminum plants shutting down and thousands of American workers losing their jobs. Some 700 aluminum workers lost their jobs in Washington state, and 600 aluminum workers were laid off in Kentucky. Another 400 aluminum workers lost their well-paying jobs in Missouri. Mr. Biden let Canada go wild with a tariff exemption.

Upon his historic reelection, Mr. Trump reimposed, with no exceptions and no exemptions, a strong Section 232 aluminum tariff on all foreign countries. In June, he raised the tariff rates to 50% to stop the bleeding. Because of his decisive leadership, $11 billion is being invested in U.S. Steel, a major win for tens of thousands of American steelworkers. Century Aluminum is building America’s first new aluminum smelter in nearly 50 years, a multibillion-dollar project that will create more than 1,000 aluminum manufacturing jobs.

Separately, a $50 million investment at an aluminum smelter in South Carolina will increase U.S. aluminum production by 10%. Emirates Global Aluminum announced a $4 billion new U.S. aluminum smelter because of Mr. Trump’s tariff policies.

Canada is again pushing for a tariff exemption. Mr. Trump will never allow a special deal for globalist Canadians who are “backing statehood for Palestine.” Canada’s policies are hurting our national and economic security, and the president has been crystal clear about his aluminum and steel tariffs: no exemptions, no exclusions.

According to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, the Canadian aluminum industry is propped up by more than $850 million in government subsidies. Furthermore, the Canadian government grants special electricity deals to Canadian companies, undercutting the natural cost of production through underpriced, state-funded electricity. Meanwhile, U.S. companies operate in the free market and, as a result, are subject to the global distortions caused by Canadian subsidization.

Aluminum is critically important for U.S. national security. It is necessary to make fighter jets, body armor and military equipment that support our troops. A new Biden-era tariff exemption for Canada would kill off what remains of our nation’s domestic aluminum industry, and thousands more aluminum manufacturing jobs would be lost. The president’s aluminum and steel tariffs are not about protecting just American jobs; “they’re about protecting the soul of our country.”

Some globalists argue that the aluminum tariff has a negative impact on automakers, which source aluminum from abroad. This outcome reflects poor supply chain structure rather than poor policy. Mr. Trump’s goal is to bolster U.S. production capacity, not continue to tear it down with a reliance on foreign aluminum imports. Furthermore, the globalist groups that pretend to represent the U.S. aluminum industry and make anti-tariff arguments often consist of large member companies with aluminum smelters in Canada, Europe, the Middle East, Brazil and Australia. These left-wing groups are not “America First”-minded and have a track record of offshoring aluminum production at the expense of thousands of American aluminum jobs.

Maintaining the 50% tariffs on aluminum and steel is crucial to sustaining the livelihoods of tens of thousands of American workers and rebuilding our manufacturing base. As the globalist Canadians and “panicans” who suffer from Trump derangement syndrome attack the president’s policies, the dealmaker in chief is securing monumental trade deals that put America first.

Under his leadership, we are witnessing an unprecedented surge in domestic manufacturing. Now is the time to stand strong in support of the “America First” trade agenda and applaud Mr. Trump for his relentless pursuit of peace and prosperity.

David N. Bossie is the president of Citizens United. He served as a senior adviser to the Trump 2024 and 2020 campaigns. He served as deputy campaign manager for Donald J. Trump for President in 2016 and deputy executive director for the Trump transition team.