Trump Tariff Proclamation Name-Checks Controversial Michigan Copper Mine After Lobbying Blitz

Lobbyists Get Results

President Trump signed a proclamation this week strengthening tariffs on imported steel, aluminum, and copper—and buried in the text is a specific shoutout to Highland Copper's controversial Copperwood Mine Project near Wakefield, Michigan.

The proclamation claims these tariffs will "more effectively" address national security threats posed by imports while supporting "the economic resilience of vital industries and the financial position of American workers." It specifically credits Highland Copper for "expanding the country's mining interests."

That language didn't appear by accident. According to Tom Grotewohl of the Protect the Porkies organization, which opposes the mine, the acknowledgement is "purely symbolic" and "the result of the mining company spending millions on lobbyists in Washington D.C."

The proclamation raises tariffs on copper imports to 50%—the same rate already applied to steel and aluminum under the Section 232 program, which allows the president to impose trade restrictions citing national security concerns.

Company Celebrates, Opponents Push Back

Copperwood Site Manager Mike Foley welcomed the White House support, calling the project "a once-in-a-generation opportunity to bring good-paying jobs to the Western U.P." He emphasized the project would meet "some of the most stringent environmental protections in the country" and is "critical to our region, supply chain, and America's national security."

But Protect the Porkies isn't buying it. The group argues the project threatens irreplaceable wilderness in Michigan's Upper Peninsula for what amounts to temporary employment.

"If some of Michigan's last wilderness is industrialized, people will realize too late that it was more valuable than copper and temporary jobs," Grotewohl said. He added that in the 250th anniversary year of the American Revolution, Americans should "reflect that the health and freedom of Nature is the source of our own."

The Tariff Playbook

This proclamation follows a familiar pattern: the Trump administration uses national security justifications to impose tariffs that benefit specific corporate interests, often those with deep lobbying pockets. The Section 232 program—originally designed to protect domestic industries vital to defense—has become a vehicle for rewarding political allies and punishing trade partners.

Critics have long argued these tariffs raise costs for American consumers and businesses while doing little to actually strengthen domestic manufacturing capacity. Retaliatory tariffs from trading partners often harm American workers in other sectors, turning trade policy into a shell game where some industries win at others' expense.

In this case, Highland Copper gets a presidential endorsement and protection from foreign competition—while Michigan residents are left to wonder whether the jobs are worth sacrificing wilderness that, once destroyed, cannot be recovered.

The Copperwood project has faced years of opposition from environmental groups and local residents concerned about water contamination, habitat destruction, and the industrialization of the Porcupine Mountains region. Now it has something critics say money can buy: a mention in a White House proclamation.