Trump for Robots Inflows, Negotiating Terms with Exporters, No Tariff Measures

[ABS News Service/29.10.2026]

President Trump said yesterday that imports of robotics and industrial machinery pose a national security threat, but called for negotiations with trade partners rather than tariffs.

In a proclamation, Mr. Trump said he agrees with a Commerce Department Section 232 finding that the products and their components “are being imported into the United States in such quantities and under such circumstances as to threaten to impair the national security of the United States.”

Section 232 allows for the imposition of tariffs on any import found to pose a threat to national security. But rather than announcing higher tariffs, Mr. Trump said he has directed Commerce and the US Trade Representative’s Office to enter into negotiations with countries that import the products into the United States.

The Section 232 probe found that the United States relies on foreign imports for most types of robotics and industrial machinery and for their components. “This import reliance poses risks to the United States industrial base and threatens the long-term competitiveness of the United States in a sector that is increasingly vital to national security.”

Domestic Production Not Meeting Demand

But the US industry is not producing enough robotics, industrial machinery and components to meet domestic demand. “Despite a recent surge in investments in manufacturing facilities in the United States, the United States still produces less robotics and industrial equipment than it consumes, lacks the capacity to satisfy the need for robotics and industrial machinery with domestic sources, and underutilizes its manufacturing capacity for robotics, industrial equipment, and their components,” the White House said.

Mr. Trump said he is asking Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer to negotiate with trading partners to adjust the level of imports coming into the US market and to report back on the status of those talks within 180 days.