Trump blasts trade policy on steel, aluminum ahead of meeting

President Trump on Thursday railed against trade policies that have hurt the U.S. steel and aluminum industries as his administration weighs options to curb foreign imports.

“Our Steel and Aluminum industries (and many others) have been decimated by decades of unfair trade and bad policy with countries from around the world,” Trump tweeted. “We must not let our country, companies and workers be taken advantage of any longer,. We want free, fair and SMART TRADE!”

Our Steel and Aluminum industries (and many others) have been decimated by decades of unfair trade and bad policy with countries from around the world. We must not let our country, companies and workers be taken advantage of any longer. We want free, fair and SMART TRADE!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 1, 2018

{mosads}Reuters reported that several executives from the steel and aluminum industries have been invited to the White House on Thursday for a major trade announcement.

Trump is reportedly considering a 24 percent tariff on steel imports, and a 10 percent tariff on aluminum imports.

Trump campaigned on the promise of bolstering manufacturing, as well as steel manufacturing, saying low-cost foreign imports hurt the U.S. steel industry.

The Commerce Department declared steel and aluminum imports from China and elsewhere a national security threat in a report issued last month, which included recommendations on possible actions. Trump has until mid-April to issue a response to the report.