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Nippon exec responds after Trump 'golden share' comments: Report

Written by Ethan Bernard

June 13, 2025

An unnamed executive from Nippon Steel has fired back following President Trump’s talk of a “golden share” on Thursday, according to a Japanese media report.

“Without a degree of management freedom, it may not be possible to reach an agreement with the US government,” the executive told Japan’s Nikkei Asia in an article on Friday.

This comes after President Trump said on Thursday the US government would hold a 51% stake in Pittsburgh-based U.S. Steel after the deal with Nippon.

U.S. Steel’s stock closed at $52.19 on Friday, down nearly 3% from the previous day.

A request for comment from Nippon was not returned by time of publication.

Ethan Bernard

Ethan Bernard is managing editor for Steel Market Update. He previously worked for American Metal Market as a copy editor in the New York office for two years, starting in 2008. Later, he copy edited AMM’s monthly magazine on a freelance basis from 2015 until 2017. With experience in financial copywriting and textbook publishing, he holds a BA in Comparative Literature from UC Berkeley, and an MFA. in Creative Writing from New York University. He can be reached at ethan@steelmarketupdate.com or 724-759-7871.

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