U.S. Steel CEO Touts $14B Investment and Calls Trump Tariffs a 'Game Changer' After Nippon Takeover
In an extended CBS interview after Nippon’s takeover, U.S. Steel CEO David Burritt insisted the company is “absolutely” still an American company and said U.S. Steel will invest about $14 billion “over the next few years” to expand and modernize. He called President Trump’s steel tariffs a “game changer,” explicitly tying the company’s strategy to that policy as the administration’s broader tariff authority and IEEPA powers face scrutiny at the Supreme Court.
📌 Key Facts
- In an extended CBS Evening News interview (Jan. 19, 2026), U.S. Steel CEO David Burritt said the company will invest $14 billion "over the next few years" to expand and modernize under Nippon ownership.
- Burritt described President Trump’s steel tariffs as a "game changer," explicitly tying U.S. Steel’s strategic plans to that policy.
- The on‑camera interview emphasized Burritt’s public alignment with the White House on tariffs.
- The interview aired as scrutiny of Trump’s broader tariff regime and the administration’s IEEPA authorities is pending before the Supreme Court, highlighting the policy context for Burritt’s comments.
📊 Relevant Data
In 2024, the racial and ethnic breakdown of employed persons in the iron and steel mills and steel product manufacturing industry was 85.2% White, 7.1% Black or African American, 4.0% Asian, and 15.4% Hispanic or Latino, with a total of approximately 314,000 employed.
Employed persons by detailed industry, sex, race, and Hispanic or Latino ethnicity — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
U.S. steel industry employment has declined significantly, from over 500,000 jobs in the early 1980s to around 140,000 direct jobs in recent years, largely due to globalization, automation, and competition from imports.
Surging Steel Imports Put Up To Half a Million U.S. Jobs at Risk — Economic Policy Institute
The Trump administration's steel tariffs resulted in a 1.4% reduction in overall U.S. manufacturing employment, with modest gains in protected sectors offset by losses elsewhere due to higher input costs.
Fact Check: Did the Trump tariffs increase US manufacturing jobs? — Econofact
Pittsburgh's population declined from 334,563 in 2000 to 302,971 in 2020, with the non-Hispanic White percentage decreasing from about 66% in 2010 to 64.7% in 2020, Black from 25.8% to 23.0%, and Asian increasing from 4.4% to 5.8%, attributed to the city's transition from a steel manufacturing hub to one focused on higher education and services.
2020 Census: Pittsburgh’s slight decline came with ‘massive’ demographic shifts in 2010s — PublicSource
The cost of the 2018 steel tariffs was approximately $270,000 in added industry profits per steel job saved, indicating high economic costs relative to employment benefits.
Trump's tariffs enrich steel barons at high cost to US manufacturers and workers — Peterson Institute for International Economics
📰 Source Timeline (2)
Follow how coverage of this story developed over time
- Burritt tells CBS U.S. Steel will invest $14 billion 'over the next few years,' reinforcing earlier claims about expansion and modernization under Nippon ownership.
- He characterizes President Trump’s steel tariffs as a 'game changer' for U.S. Steel, going beyond prior generic praise by explicitly tying the company’s strategy to that policy.
- The extended interview format emphasizes Burritt’s on‑camera alignment with the White House on tariffs at a moment when Trump’s broader tariff regime and IEEPA authorities are under Supreme Court scrutiny.