Trump's tariffs on steel, aluminium imports may exclude Canada, Mexico

The White House raised the possibility on Wednesday that impending hefty US tariffs on steel and aluminium imports could exclude a clutch of countries besides Canada and Mexico as President Donald Trump looked set to authorise the measures as early as Thursday.

Trump was expected to sign a presidential proclamation to establish the tariffs during a ceremony on Thursday, but a White House official said later it could slide into Friday because documents had to be cleared through a legal process.
A senior US official said the measures would take effect about two weeks after Trump signs the proclamation.

The tariffs would impose duties of 25 per cent on steel and 10 per cent on aluminium to counter cheap imports, especially from China, that the president says undermine US industry and jobs.
It was not immediately clear whether the proclamation would list countries to be exempted, as pressure grew for Trump to exclude US allies from the action.