Although first doubts about whether it would be effective, finally the president of the United States (USA), Donald Trump, He used his social truth account to “Announce a 50% tariff to copper, effective since August 1, 2025”.
According to Trump, this formalization came after a national security analysis, highlighting that the mineral is necessary for key systems of the US defense industry.
“Copper is necessary for semiconductors, airplanes, ships, ammunition, data centers, ion-lithium batteries, radar systems, defense missiles, and even hypersonic weapons, of which we are manufacturing several ”, Trump said.
Trump confirms 50% tariffs to copper since August 1
In addition, he took the opportunity to launch new darts, highlighting that the red metal, the main export product of Chile, is the Second most used material in the US Department of Defense.
“Why our fools (and slow!)” Leaders “decim this important industry?” Thus, Trump states that with this tariff they will counteract the “stupidity” of the Biden administration and that a “dominant” local copper industry will be built.
“This is, after all, our golden age!”he concluded in His social truth profile.
Within the battery of tariffs announced so far in its second term, the national industry was attentive to the announcement of a possible copper tariff.
Chile is the main producer of this mineral globally. According to data from Banco Central, During 2024 US $ 14,1256 million in copper minerals and their concentrates were exported, along with US $ 6,556 million in refined copper.
To the US, refined copper exports reached US $ 3,391 million.
In this sense, The president of Codelco, Máximo Pacheco, Upon learning of the confirmation of the tariff, he told CNN Chile live In the US “they know that if they want to produce more copper, You have to wait for at least 10 years, so that they can open new deposits and develop new primary copper ”.
“I think there,” Trump- is talking a lot about semi -manufactured copper, “Pacheco said.
However, then the president of the state cuprifer “Because I don’t understand it well.”
Pacheco points out that, on the one hand, the detail of what copper products will be under the tariff, or how the market will react to the ad
For several months, companies and investors in the US have been provided with copper inventories in view of the tariff, which in general has led to an appreciation of its price. At the time of the ad, the Copper futures for delivery in September grow 1.30% to US $ 5.61 a pound.
