Donald Trump has ordered a probe into copper dumping in the US, laying the groundwork for imports of the metal to be hit with tariffs as the president expands the ambit of his protectionist drive.
Trump on Tuesday directed the Department of Commerce to open an investigation into copper imports on national security grounds. If the probe finds evidence of dumping it would allow his administration to take retaliatory measures, including imposing tariffs or quotas.
“You will see that our new secretary of commerce, Howard Lutnick, will move what I like to call ‘in Trump time’, which is as quickly as possible, and get the results of his investigation to the president’s desk for possible action,” said Peter Navarro, Trump’s senior counsellor for trade and manufacturing policy.