President Trump doubled the tariffs on steel and aluminum.

Starting today, the tax on imported metals will increase to 50%, twice that of yesterday.

The president announced the latest trade war offense on Friday, while visiting a steel mill outside Pittsburgh. Trump told a tough guy with steel workers that oversized taxes would help put cheap imported steel on the U.S. market.

"It will further ensure the steel industry in the United States," Trump said. "No one will solve this problem."

In companies that use steel, more people do

Higher tariffs may provide a driving force for domestic companies that produce steel and aluminum. But for every steel worker in the United States, about 80 people work for companies that use steel. Their costs are about to rise.

"How should you buy the most expensive steel in the world in the United States and compete with global competitors who are capable of getting world market pricing," Howarts asked.

During the first Trump administration, Waltz's company was double-suppressed - paying more for raw steel when competing with finished products from other countries that do not face tariffs.

This time, the Trump administration also imposes taxes on some of these finished products. Still, Woltz is concerned that the higher cost of building materials may put some construction projects on hold.

From auto parts to machinery, many businesses use steel

This is just the beginning of the potential impact of tariffs, which affects many other industries.

"The ripple effect goes into the auto parts, motorcycles, machinery and equipment we use in mining - many different products," said Katheryn Russ, an economist at the University of California, Davis.

Researchers estimated at the time that rising steel and aluminum cost led to the loss of thousands of downstream manufacturing jobs.

"When tariffs on steel are taxed, the cost of producers who use steel as inputs to make other things can be increased. This may prompt them to back down," Russ said.

“This is a failure for American consumers”

Tariffs today are higher, far-reaching, and may also be available at supermarkets at higher prices, ranging from canned soup to six packs of soda.

“We know that we as canning manufacturers pass these additions to our customers – food producers and soft drink manufacturers and beer brewers – and they will pass them to consumers as well,” said Robert Budway, president of the CAN Manufacturers Institute. “This is a failure for American consumers.”

Trump did not rely on the 1977 emergency regulations he used for many other tariffs when raising steel and aluminum tariffs, the subject of ongoing court battles. Instead, he cited the authority of different statues - Article 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962, which aims to protect national security.

Some factory owners are bullish on Trump’s trade policy, even if that’s a loss. Drew Greenblatt's company produces wire baskets and other steel products at factories in Michigan, Indiana and Maryland - he hopes to buy a fourth plant in New Jersey. Although steel tariffs increase his raw materials costs, Greenblatt said he is not worried.

“One of our foreign competitors have to build a factory in the U.S. or they will have to start buying from people like me,” Greenblatt said. “So what you’re going to see is a big increase in U.S. manufacturing.”

“This makes the plan super difficult”

Many forecasters disagree, warning that Trump's overall trade war could lead to slower economic growth, and businesses are worried.

"You can build all the walls and implement all the relevant taxes you want, but at some point you won't get rid of the fact that the Chinese are pushing the entire world market."

While Trump’s overall trade agenda was supposed to boost domestic manufacturing, a survey released this week showed factory orders and output were delayed by tariffs and generally unpredictable ways.

"Maybe Trump wakes up tomorrow and changes his mind," Walters said seriously. “This makes planning super difficult.”