Tariffs, if they are imposed, could boost U.S. production of a valuable resource but also raise costs for automakers, construction companies and others.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump on Tuesday directed the government to consider possible tariffs on copper, the latest move by the White House to tax a wide array of imports and reshape global trade.

President Donald Trump opened yet another front on Tuesday in his assault on global trade norms, ordering a probe into potential new tariffs on copper imports to rebuild U.S. production of a metal critical to electric vehicles,