President Donald Trump met U.S. Steel Chief Executive David Buritt at the White House on Thursday as the struggling steelmaker continued to advocate for a decision on its long-awaited takeover by Japan’s Nippon Steel.
A $14.9 billion bid for U.S. Steel by Nippon Steel was blocked last month by former President Joe Biden.
Trump has criticized the deal but has expressed support for Japanese investment in the technology sector. He is scheduled to meet with Japan’s Prime Minister on Friday, Shigeru Ishiba, at the White House.
It was not immediately clear what was discussed at the meeting between Trump and U.S. Steel’s Buritt.
Trump commented earlier, “I am totally against the once great and powerful U.S. Steel being bought by a foreign company, in this case Nippon Steel of Japan.”
However, Nippon Steel said on Thursday that its bid supports Trump’s goal of strengthening the U.S. as the leaders of the two allies prepared to meet.
“We are convinced that our acquisition plan is the best proposal for U.S. Steel, and I hope that the (Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru) Ishiba-Trump meeting will convey that to Trump and open the way for a deal,” Takahiro Mori, Nippon Steel’s vice chairman, told reporters on Thursday.
Meta Platforms’ Mark Zuckerberg and FedEx Executive Chairman and Founder Frederick Smith were also at the White House for meetings on Thursday, though it remained unclear whether they met with Trump. A Meta spokesperson stated on social media platform X that Zuckerberg visited to discuss how Meta can support the administration in promoting American tech leadership globally.