U.S. President Donald Trump reiterated his opposition to foreign ownership of U.S. Steel on Thursday, while sending mixed signals as to whether the acquisition of the iconic American company by Nippon Steel could be part of tariff negotiations between Japan and the United States.
“It could be, but I doubt it. I think we’re going to view it separately,” Trump said when asked by reporters about whether the $14.9 billion transaction was included in the tariff negotiations. “I have great respect for Japan, but we don’t want a foreign country buying U.S. Steel."
Trump has ordered a second national security review of Nippon Steel’s purchase of U.S. Steel and has said on a number of occasions — before the election and after — that he opposes the transaction, which was formally rejected by Joe Biden when he was president.
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.