FOREIGN POLICY/TRADE DEALS/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “The Trump administration summoned steel and aluminum executives on short notice for a White House meeting on Thursday [3-1-18], telling some of them that an announcement could be made then on long-awaited curbs on steel and aluminum imports in the name of protecting national security, according to people familiar with the matter.
One of those people said on Thursday morning that the administration didn’t expect to announce new steel and aluminum tariffs on Thursday.
These people said that executives from companies in the two industries had been invited to the White House for a midday meeting with President Donald Trump, and that Mr. Trump and some of his advisers were hoping to use that event to announce broad tariffs or quotas.
Other people involved in the discussions, however, said that the new policies hadn’t been completed as of Wednesday night, and that the session could just turn into a meeting to discuss possible alternatives. The official White House schedule released shortly after 9 p.m. made no mention of a meeting or an announcement.
Mr. Trump signaled Thursday morning that steel and aluminum tariffs were on his mind with a tweet shortly after 7 a.m. but didn’t indicate whether a final decision was imminent.”
-Jacob M. Schlesinger, “Trump Summons Steel, Aluminum Executives for Meeting on Trade Curbs,” The Wall Street Journal online, Mar. 1, 2018 11:09am