Trump Declares Foreign-Made Factory Robots a National Security Threat

On October 28, President Donald Trump issued a presidential proclamation declaring imports of foreign‑made industrial robots a national security threat. The order calls for new negotiations with trading partners and leaves open the possibility of future tariffs. Trump’s statement cites an investigation led by U.S. Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick, which found that such robot imports pose risks to the U.S. industrial base and threaten the country’s long‑term competitiveness in a sector deemed vital to national security. The proclamation highlights the importance of these machines for producing U.S. military weapon systems and for the broader critical infrastructure economy, noting that major U.S. manufacturers—including General Motors, Ford, Tesla, Boeing, and Lockheed Martin—rely heavily on industrial robots.