Trump announces $15bn steel mill project in Iowa before US midterms

Amid tight Iowa midterm races, President Trump emphasises steel industry revival with project announcement.

Among Republicans, United States President Donald Trump is losing steam due to his handling of economic issues [File: Annabelle Gordon/Reuters]

Just weeks before the midterm elections, United States President Donald Trump has announced that a Minnesota-based steel manufacturer intends to build a $15bn steel mill project in Iowa, as the White House tries to highlight its focus on domestic manufacturing.

On Monday, joined by executives from Mesabi Metallics, which recently opened Minnesota’s first new iron ore mine in 50 years, Trump announced the project. It is expected to begin production in 2030 and could bring more than 1,700 jobs to the region, with an initial production capacity of 7.5 million tonnes per year.

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The first phase of construction for the project will generate 5,000–6,000 construction jobs, a White House official told Al Jazeera.

The plant in Iowa will use iron ore from the Mesabi Iron Range in nearby Minnesota. Mesabi, which is owned by Indian conglomerate Essar Group, invested more than $2.5bn to build the mine in Minnesota.

“President Trump is delivering on his promise to rebuild American industry, re-shore manufacturing, and create new jobs. Today’s announcement underscores the president’s historic efforts to revitalize the US steel industry—supporting local communities, strengthening supply chains, and protecting our national security,” White House Spokeswoman Taylor Rogers said in a statement to Al Jazeera.

The steel industry has loomed over the first half of Trump’s second term in office. The president imposed 50 percent tariffs on steel and aluminium imports last year in an effort to boost domestic production, but also threatened to increase prices of products that use those materials, from soda cans to washing machines to cars.

“These are your 232 tariffs, the steel tariffs at work. Without those tariffs, this mine does not get built, and this steel plant does not get built”, US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said in the Oval Office on Monday.

Trump also solidified the US government’s stake in US Steel, which was acquired by Japan’s Nippon Steel in June 2025. As part of the deal, the US government received a so-called “golden share”, which gives the president the authority to appoint a board member to weigh in on decisions that would impact domestic steel production.

The announcement comes a little more than a month ahead of the US midterm elections, and the economy is top of mind for US voters.

Among Republicans, Trump is losing steam on his handling of economic issues, with a new September 21 Ipsos poll finding that 56 percent approve of his handling of the economy, down from 80 percent.

Iowa is in play as a seat Democrats could flip in the midterm elections, with Republican Ashley Hinson facing Democrat Josh Turek in November and with polls suggesting a tight race.

Hinson joined the president in the Oval Office for the announcement.

A poll conducted by the Republican-aligned pollster the Trafalgar Group showed Hinson with a two-point lead, while an InsiderAdvantage poll, which is considered more nonpartisan, found Turek leading by two points.

在爱荷华州中期选举竞争激烈之际，特朗普总统宣布了一项振兴钢铁行业的项目，以此强调钢铁行业的复苏。

由于美国总统唐纳德·特朗普在经济问题上的处理方式，他在共和党人中的支持率正在下降。[图片：安娜贝尔·戈登/路透社]

距离中期选举仅剩几周之际，美国总统唐纳德·特朗普宣布，一家总部位于明尼苏达州的钢铁制造商计划在爱荷华州建设一座价值 150 亿美元的钢铁厂项目，白宫试图借此强调其对国内制造业的重视。

周一，特朗​​普总统与梅萨比金属公司（Mesabi Metallics）的高管共同宣布了该项目。梅萨比金属公司是明尼苏达州50年来首个新建铁矿的开采企业。该项目预计将于2030年投产，初期年产能为750万吨，可为该地区带来超过1700个就业岗位。

列表 1/4：加拿大人如何应对特朗普贸易战的影响

列表 2/4：美联储三年来首次加息

列表 3/4：习近平会见特朗普，谁将赢得这场贸易战？

列表 4/4：为什么加拿大总理卡尼不排除与美国开战的可能性？

一位白宫官员告诉半岛电视台，该项目的第一阶段建设将创造 5000 至 6000 个建筑工作岗位。

位于爱荷华州的这家工厂将使用来自邻近明尼苏达州梅萨比铁矿区的铁矿石。梅萨比铁矿区隶属于印度企业集团埃萨集团，该集团已投资超过25亿美元在明尼苏达州建设这座矿山。

白宫发言人泰勒·罗杰斯在给半岛电视台的一份声明中表示：“特朗普总统正在兑现他重建美国工业、将制造业迁回国内和创造新就业机会的承诺。今天的声明凸显了总统为振兴美国钢铁行业所做的历史性努力——支持当地社区、加强供应链和保护我们的国家安全。”

在特朗普第二个任期的前半段，钢铁行业一直备受关注。去年，为了提振国内钢铁和铝的生产，总统对进口钢铁和铝征收了50%的关税，但同时也威胁要提高使用这些材料生产的产品的价格，从汽水罐到洗衣机再到汽车，无一幸免。

“这就是你们的232号关税，钢铁关税在发挥作用。如果没有这些关税，这座矿山就不会建成，这座钢铁厂也不会建成。”美国商务部长霍华德·卢特尼克周一在椭圆形办公室说道。

特朗普还巩固了美国政府在美国钢铁公司（US Steel）的股份，该公司于2025年6月被日本新日铁收购。作为交易的一部分，美国政府获得了所谓的“黄金股”，这赋予总统任命一名董事会成员的权力，使其能够对影响国内钢铁生产的决策发表意见。

该消息发布于美国中期选举前一个多月，而经济问题正是美国选民最为关心的问题。

在共和党人中，特朗普在经济问题上的支持率正在下降。9 月 21 日 Ipsos 的一项新民调显示，56% 的人认可他对经济的处理方式，低于之前的 80%。

爱荷华州是民主党有可能在中期选举中翻盘的席位，共和党候选人阿什利·欣森将在 11 月与民主党候选人乔什·图雷克对决，民调显示选情胶着。

欣森与总统一同在椭圆形办公室宣布了这一消息。

共和党支持的民调机构特拉法加集团进行的民调显示，欣森领先两个百分点，而被认为更不偏袒任何党派的 InsiderAdvantage 民调则发现图雷克领先两个百分点。