Former President Donald Trump vowed Sunday while speaking to
supporters in Pennsylvania that if elected, he will fight the sale of U.S.
Steel to Japan's Nippon Steel.
"I will not allow U.S. Steel to be sold to Japan,"
said the GOP nominee during his rally in Erie, Pennsylvania. "We're going
to fight that, right?"
U.S. Steel is headquartered in Pennsylvania.
Last week, a U.S. national security panel reviewing a $14.9
billion bid from Nippon Steel to buy out U.S. Steel agreed to allow the
companies to refile their
application for the deal, which delayed a decision on the
merger until after the Nov. 5 election.
Vice President Kamala Harris said in a rally in Pennsylvania
earlier this month that she wants U.S. Steel to stay "American owned and
operated," while Trump has pledged to block the deal. Both candidates are
seeking to gain union votes.
Trump on Sunday vowed several other economic measures, including
a promise to all companies that their taxes will be cut from 21% down to 15%
only if they make their products in the United States and hire American
workers.
"If you're a foreign country and you don't make your
product here, then you will have to pay a tariff, a fairly substantial one,
which will go into our Treasury," said Trump. "On the other hand, if
you want to build your factory in the United States, there will be no taxes,
there will be no tariffs, there will be nothing to pay. So if you build your
factory or your plant in the United States, there will be no
tariff."
This means Americans will be "getting so many job offers,
and a lot of it's going to take place right here in Pennsylvania."
The nominee also promised to pass the Trump Reciprocal Trade
Act, which means that if a country charges a 100% or 200% tariff, "we will
charge them a reciprocal tariff or tax of 100% or 200% and we will do it
immediately."
Trump further promised that he will not let Mexico, China, or
other countries sell vehicles into the United States "to the detriment of
our autoworkers."
The Biden administration's electric car mandates, he added, will
mean the United States "will not have any autoworkers."
"The autoworkers are going to vote overwhelmingly for
me," said Trump. "They have a stupid person in charge of the union
... he agreed and wants to build all-electric cars. If you do that there will
be no more auto jobs. They'll all be made in China and other places."
