Trump once again voiced opposition to Nippon Steel's acquisition of American Steel (X.US) deal or misuse

Zhitongcaijing · 04/14 11:09

The Zhitong Finance App learned that US President Donald Trump reiterated on Sunday that he believes that foreign companies should not control American Steel (X.US), which makes the hope that Japan's Nippon Steel will buy US Steel for 15 billion US dollars slim.

Trump said on Wednesday that he did not want to see American Steel bought by Japan, causing the company's stock price to drop 7%. Subsequently, the two companies said they are working closely with the Trump administration to “secure a major investment.”

Japanese Prime Minister Ishiwari Shigeru said at a parliamentary meeting in Tokyo on Monday that he and Trump discussed the agreement during a February meeting.

Shigeru Ishiwari said, “The difference between acquisition and investment must be carefully examined in accordance with US law, but there is definitely one point where it (American Steel) is still an American company, and Japan's interests can also be realized.”

Nippon Steel announced a deal to acquire American Steel in December 2023, but the deal faced resistance from the beginning.

Former US President Joe Biden and Trump both claimed in the fiercely contested election last year that US Steel should continue to be owned by Americans to gain the support of voters in the swing state of Pennsylvania, where the company is headquartered.

In January 2025, Biden blocked the deal on national security grounds. But the two companies soon filed lawsuits, claiming that they were disqualified from a fair national security review because Biden publicly opposed the deal in order to win re-election, which affected the review process.

Before the US stock market on Monday, US Steel fell 0.27%.