Earlier this year, the Financial Times published an article that asked a key question for the U.S. presidential election: Will steelworkers be the swing vote in 2024? To fully examine that question, one must understand how trade policies and voter opinions in the U.S. have evolved since 2016. While there are stark differences between the Trump and Biden administrations, they have more common ground on steel trade and tariffs than many would think. This article will examine how steel trade policy evolved in recent elections and government policy since 2016 and identify trends that can be expected when the next president is sworn into office in January 2025.
Why does steel matter in the 2024 election?