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    Analysis

    January 30, 2025

    Final Thoughts

    Written by Michael Cowden

    Will he or won’t he – and when? That had been the story with President Donald Trump and tariffs until Thursday. And it sometimes seemed like the consensus on what would happen changed every two seconds.

    That waiting game is now over, it appears. Trump told reporters at the White House on Thursday that he would hit Canada and Mexico with 25% tariffs on Saturday, Feb. 1 – making good on a threat he made shortly after his inauguration on Jan. 20.

    Michael Cowden

    Michael Cowden is editor-in-chief for Steel Market Update. Cowden has covered the steel industry since 2007. He specializes in flat-rolled steel but has also reported on steel long products, steel pipe and tube, and aluminum. Before joining SMU, Cowden held reporting jobs at Fastmarkets AMM in Chicago, the Associated Press in Pittsburgh, and the Cambodia Daily in Phnom Penh. He has also worked as a copy editor and in marketing at the University of Chicago Press. Cowden has a BA in English from the University of Chicago and an MSJ journalism from Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism. Contact him at michael@steelmarketupdate.com or 724-759-7872.

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