US President Donald Trump has made an unfortunate gaffe before signing off on his contentious trade tariffs on imported steel and aluminium.
Steel worker Scott Sauritch was invited to the White House and took to the podium to explain how his father "lost his job" in the 1980s due to migrants.
Mr Sauritch thanked Mr Trump and dedicated the speech to his father.
Following the speech, Mr Trump said: "Well, your father Herman is looking down, he is very proud of you."
But Mr Sauritch corrected Mr Trump and told him his father was still alive, to which the president said: "Well then he is even more proud of you."
Mr Trump also followed up the gaffe by jokingly challenging a steelworker to an arm wrestle.
The US president's tariffs on steel and aluminium imports will start in 15 days with initial exemptions for Canada and Mexico and the possibility of alternatives for other countries, a senior administration official said on Thursday.
The tariffs of 25 per cent on steel and 10 per cent on aluminium, proclaimed by Mr Trump on Thursday during an event at the White House, appeared to soften what the US president billed last week as a global, "no-exceptions" move to protect the two industries under a 1962 national security trade law.
Mr Trump's sudden push for the tariffs last week triggered fears of a global trade war and rattled financial markets.
US stocks pared gains on Thursday after the administration official's comments.
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