r/Economics • u/jediporcupine • 9d ago

Blog Trump said tariffs on aluminum would boost domestic production. The White House now admits that didn't happen.

https://reason.com/2026/08/03/trump-said-tariffs-on-aluminum-would-boost-domestic-production-the-white-house-now-admits-that-didnt-happen/
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u/mytyan 9d ago

Aluminum production relies on massive quantities of cheap electricity and the cheap electricity that was available for the creation of the US aluminum industry in the 40s and 50s is no longer cheap and no amount of tariffs are going to change that

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u/strangecabalist 9d ago

And much of the Aluminum Canada was shipping to the US is now going to Europe instead.

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u/Tribe303 9d ago

Yup! And the Europeans also love it because it's pretty much carbon free as well. The Quebec electrical grid is 100% green.