Article snippet: Defying critics, President Donald Trump has officially announced steep tariffs on aluminum and steel imports, exempting Canada and Mexico for now, and providing for possible exceptions for other U.S. allies. Steel imports would be hit with a 25 percent tariff, and aluminum imports with a 10 percent tariff. "Today I'm defending America's Trump tweeted Thursday morning about a 3:30 p.m. meeting - that wasn't on his official schedule - about the steel and aluminum industries. Trump's decision to impose tariffs has divided the White House, angered Republicans on Capitol Hill, and could potentially alienate allies abroad. On Tuesday, Trump's National Economic Council Director Gary Cohn said he was resigning after losing the battle inside the White House over tariffs. And on Wednesday, leaders from Capitol Hill intensely lobbied the White House to reconsider. One hundred and eight Republicans led by House Ways and Means Chairman Kevin Brady wrote a letter to Trump expressing their concerns. But despite intense resistance, Trump went ahead with his decision. “We're going to be very fair, we're going to be very flexible but we're going to protect the American worker as I said I would do in my campaign,” Trump said earlier Thursday at a Cabinet meeting. “I’ll have a right to go up or down depending on the country and I’ll have a right to drop out countries or add countries,” Mr Trump said. “I just want fairness, because we have not been treated fairly by... Link to the full article to read more