Trump said today that the United States is regaining control over critical mineral resources, which serve as foundational raw materials for advanced weapons, automobiles, and a wide range of other products.
Trump accused the U.S. of long-term reliance on "hostile foreign nations" over decades, resulting in more than 3,400 domestic mines shutting down. He claimed that other countries have profited from this situation while American mining companies were forced into bankruptcy.
He stated that the current goal is to achieve domestic mining, refining, and manufacturing of these core resources: "The industry is coming back—and it's coming back quickly."
Commentary: Trump attributes the decline of domestic mining simply to dependence on foreign sources, deliberately overlooking the core reality: stringent environmental regulations, high labor costs, and lengthy project approval processes within the U.S. are key internal factors behind the struggles of many mines. It is unfair to place all blame on overseas nations. His push for full industrial chain reintegration of critical minerals aims fundamentally at securing resource supply for defense and new energy industries, seeking to break free from global supply chain dependencies and reinforce America’s technological and military advantages. However, rebuilding a complete mineral smelting and processing chain requires massive, long-term investment and cannot yield quick results. Meanwhile, to achieve these goals, the U.S. is likely to rally allies to form an exclusive mineral cooperation circle, establish trade barriers, intensifying fragmentation and competition in the global critical minerals arena. This will also compel other countries to accelerate their own domestic mineral supply chain development, driving greater supply chain self-reliance.
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1872903166782538/
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