Trump's next target is copper

[Anchor]

U.S. President Trump is also preparing to expand the tariff war over mineral resources.

Following steel and aluminum, this time it is copper.

The justification is to protect domestic industries, but American consumers are feeling anxious.

Park Il-jung reports from New York.

[Report]

Copper is an important metal used in military fields such as fighter jets and tanks.

Its usage is also broad, including in the construction and medical fields, making it the third most used metal after iron and aluminum.

As electric-related industries such as electric vehicles and artificial intelligence grow, the demand for copper is expected to surge.

However, the United States imported 45% of its copper usage last year.

President Trump has instructed an investigation into the impact of this copper import on national security.

The basis for this is Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act.

This provision allows the president to impose tariffs on foreign products for national security reasons.

Ultimately, it is aimed at imposing tariffs to revive the domestic copper industry by restricting imports.

Our country also exported copper products worth $570 million to the United States last year.

[Howard Lutnik/US Secretary of Commerce: "Tariffs will help rebuild back our American copper industry and strengthen our national defense. American industries depend on copper, and they should be made in America."]

Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act can be applied to any item, including automobiles.

The comprehensive tariff imposition policy is increasing anxiety about the economy within the United States.

Consumer confidence in the economy is weakening, and inflation expectations are rising.

[Don Nesbitt/Senior Investment Manager at Asset Management Company: "We've got uncertainty out of Washington. We have uncertainty about the state of the consumer."]

President Trump stated that the results of the investigation into copper imports will have a significant impact.

This impact will not only affect exporting countries.

This is Park Il-jung from KBS News in New York.