Trump promised to block the sale of U.S. Steel. What does that mean for the Pittsburgh area?
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — President-elect Donald Trump has delivered a gut punch to Nippon Steel's $15 billion bid to buy U.S. Steel, saying he's against the sale.
In a social media post, Trump says when he takes office, he will block the sale, which was announced last December.
"I am totally against the once great and powerful U.S. Steel being bought by a foreign company, in this case Nippon Steel of Japan," Trump wrote on Truth Social. "Through a series of Tax Incentives and Tariffs, we will make U.S. Steel Strong and Great Again, and it will happen FAST!"
At 150 years old, The Mon Valley Works — Edgar Thomson Plant is in desperate need of an overhaul, and though Nippon Steel has promised $1 billion in upgrades, the United Steelworkers union leadership opposes the U.S. Steel sale to the Japanese steelmaker, even if the steelworkers themselves are divided.
"I'm on the side of making steel. I'm on the side for making steel for whoever owns this facility," said worker Jesse Smith.
"I'm partial towards it being domestic and individuals from the United States, citizens of the United States, running and managing the company. But if that's not the case, I'll still work for the people who do," Smith said.
Trump has cited national security concerns about selling the once-giant steel company to a foreign government, even though Japan is a U.S. ally. And while the steelworkers union has also discounted Nippon's promises of keeping the headquarters in Pittsburgh and that billion-dollar investment, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro says he's been working on all sides to broker a deal to protect jobs and steelmaking in Western Pennsylvania and he'll continue despite Trump's post.
"I'm less about social media posts and more about doing the hard work," Shapiro said.
Shapiro said Nippon's $15 billion bid is being reviewed by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, which will give its recommendation to President Biden. Biden has also expressed his opposition to the deal. Shapiro isn't taking a side but says Biden will have the final say before he leaves office.
When asked if he supports the Nippon deal, Shapiro replied, "My job is to make sure we protect the jobs and steelmaking here in Western Pennsylvania and that's what I'm focused on every single day."
As for whether the deal is approved, Shapiro said that's up to Biden.
The future of steelmaking in Southwestern Pennsylvania could be decided before the end of the month. And while the steelworkers themselves are caught in the middle, they'd like to work for a company that's domestically owned but not at the expense of not working at all.