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You are here: Home / Economy / Trump Backtracks on Steel and Aluminum Tariffs

Trump Backtracks on Steel and Aluminum Tariffs

February 13, 2026 at 10:02 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“Donald Trump is planning to scale back some tariffs on steel and aluminum goods as he battles an affordability crisis that has sapped his approval ratings ahead of November’s midterm elections,” the Financial Times reports.

“The president hit steel and aluminum imports with tariffs of up to 50 percent last summer, and has expanded the taxes to a range of goods made from those metals including washing machines and ovens.”

“But his administration is now reviewing the list of products affected by the levies and plans to exempt some items, halt the expansion of the lists and instead launch more targeted national security probes into specific goods.”

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Filed Under: Economy, Foreign Affairs


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About Political Wire

goddard-bw-snapshotTaegan Goddard is the founder of Political Wire, one of the earliest and most influential political web sites. He also runs Political Job Hunt, Electoral Vote Map and the Political Dictionary.

Goddard spent more than a decade as managing director and chief operating officer of a prominent investment firm in New York City. Previously, he was a policy adviser to a U.S. Senator and Governor.

Goddard is also co-author of You Won - Now What? (Scribner, 1998), a political management book hailed by prominent journalists and politicians from both parties. In addition, Goddard's essays on politics and public policy have appeared in dozens of newspapers across the country.

Goddard earned degrees from Vassar College and Harvard University. He lives in New York with his wife and three sons.

Goddard is the owner of Goddard Media LLC.

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