Trump Administration Says Section Copper Tariffs May Begin In August

In a post on social media earlier this month, President Donald Trump said that the United States will be putting into place a 50 percent tariff on copper imports starting in the coming months. The White House has not yet issued a specific proclamation regarding the tariffs, however, and the Trump administration has not offered many additional details about the new penalties.

The decision comes after President Trump ordered a Section 232 investigation of copper imports. More specifically, that study required the U.S. Secretary of Commerce to review domestic demand and production of copper and the impact of importing the metal. It also called for an assessment of “whether additional measures, including tariffs or quotas, are necessary to protect national security.” (Read the February 2025 order calling for that investigation at this link.)

President Trump did not specify when the new tariffs will go into effect, but, according to The Hill, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick told CNBC the penalty is set to go into effect by August. “We’ll sign a proclamation as that goes through the ordinary legal process within a day or two days,” Secretary Lutnick said. “That will come out, but then copper will be set, likely to be put into place end of July, maybe August 1.” (Again, the Trump administration still has not issued a proclamation regarding these tariffs yet.)

The Canadian government has pledged to fight the penalties. Read more about their plans at this link, and stay tuned to Connecting the Dots as this story develops.