- Start
- Sep 28, 202690% CONFIDENCEfrom the source
Trump Unveils Mesabi Metallics' $15 Billion Iowa Steel Plant, the Largest in US History
- Trump announced Mesabi Metallics' plan to invest about $15 billion in an Iowa steel plant at an Oval Office event that began at 2 p.m. ET (1 p.m. CT) on 28 September 2026; the Wall Street Journal first reported the plan that morning[1][2]
- A White House official called it the largest steel plant of its kind in US history and the first mega steel plant built in the United States since the 1960s, fully vertically integrated in the US from iron mining to steel production[2]
- The first phase is estimated at about 7.5 million tons of steel a year and up to 6,000 construction jobs; the plant is to ramp up to 10 million tons a year and at least 1,750 permanent jobs, with first steel expected in 2030[1][4]
- The plant will be able to meet defense-sector requirements for high-grade steel, and the Export-Import Bank is to issue up to $10 billion in financing for Mesabi Metallics' expansion[3]
- The exact site was to be named at the event; Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks said on Facebook the plant will be built in Lee County, where Iowa lawmakers have discussed a special session on tax incentives for a steel plant[2][5]
- Mesabi Metallics, based in Nashwauk, Minnesota and part of India's Essar Group, promises “100% American steel: mined, melted and poured in Minnesota and Iowa”, using ore from its more than $2.5 billion Iron Range mine, which is just starting production after about two decades and Essar Steel Minnesota's 2016 bankruptcy[1]
- The mine is the first new iron ore mine in Minnesota in half a century; Mesabi has hired more than 200 of a planned 350 full-time workers there[6]
- Chairman Rewant Ruia and CEO Joe Broking joined Trump with Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, Export-Import Bank Chairman John Jovanovic, Sen. Joni Ernst and Rep. Miller-Meeks[1][4]
- Trump set 25% tariffs on steel and aluminum imports early in his second term and later doubled them to 50%; critics blame them for multi-year-high US steel prices, while steel trade groups credit them with $47 billion in announced and underway investment[1]
- The event came weeks before the November midterms, with competitive races for Iowa's Senate seat and governorship[1][6]
References 686% CONFIDENCEOverall confidence: 86%How well the pin's source and references back up its dates.Weighted average of how firmly 6 references, the source included, support the pin's start and end times; a reference counts half as much for every 180 days older than the newestShow all pins at 75% confidence or better
The first entry is always the pin's source. Overall confidence is a weighted average of how firmly each reference supports the start and end times used above; a reference counts half as much for every 180 days older than the newest.
- [1]90%cnbc.com/2026/09/28/trump-steel-plant-iowa.htmlcnbc.com· Posted Sep 28, 2026· Starts Sep 28, 2026 ✓· 17% of score
CNBC, 28 Sep 2026: "The Oval Office announcement with Mesabi Metallics, which began at 2 p.m. ET"; MPR News[6] gives the same slot as "1 p.m. CT", which is 18:00 UTC.
- [2]88%Largest-ever U.S. steel plant coming to Iowa, White House says - The Gazettethegazette.com· Published Sep 28, 2026· Starts Sep 28, 2026· 17% of score
The Gazette: "President Donald Trump will make a formal announcement at 1 p.m. Monday in the Oval Office" (Iowa time, 28 September), adding the Lee County incentive talks and the first steel by 2030.
- [3]88%Trump to unveil plans for a $15 billion steel mill in Iowa - NBC Newsnbcnews.com· Published Sep 28, 2026· Starts Sep 28, 2026· 17% of score
NBC News: "Trump will announce the project at a 2 p.m. ET White House event", with production aimed for 2030 and up to $10 billion of Export-Import Bank financing.
- [4]85%White House shares details of largest US steel plant coming to Iowa - KCRGkcrg.com· Published Sep 28, 2026· Starts Sep 28, 2026· 17% of score
KCRG[5]: Mesabi Metallics "will share the location of the plant at the 2 p.m. ET Oval Office announcement"; 10 million tons a year once fully online by 2030, 5,000 to 6,000 construction jobs and 1,750 permanent jobs.
- [5]80%Congresswoman says largest-ever American steel plant is coming to Lee County - WGEM/KCRGkcrg.com· Published Sep 28, 2026· Starts Sep 28, 2026· 17% of score
WGEM: Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks "said the $15 billion mega steel plant will be built somewhere in Lee County" and would share the exact location at the Oval Office announcement.[1]
Suggest a correction
Something missing or wrong? Say it in your own words: a link that backs this pin up, a different start or end date and why, or a fact it lacks or gets wrong. The AI checks it against this pin's sources, searches for better ones, and adds any page that backs you up. The pin's own sources still count most. A picture that shows something else, or shows it badly, is looked at too, and moved down or replaced.