Trump Pushes Deep-Sea Mining to End U.S. Dependence on China’s Minerals
President Donald Trump (R) has unleashed a bold new chapter in the battle for America’s industrial future, wielding deep-sea mining of critical minerals as his most dramatic weapon yet. With U.S.–China tensions simmering and economic nationalism once again in the spotlight, Trump’s move to break China’s chokehold over resources like nickel, copper, and rare earth elements is sending shockwaves through the global market—and the halls of power. His plan, laid out in an April 2025 executive order, puts American industry, technology, and defense capabilities front and center, aiming to secure resources essential for electric vehicles, advanced weaponry, and the all-important next generation of tech.
This executive order allows U.S. companies to commence mining operations in international waters without waiting for green lights from international bodies. It’s a clear declaration: American interests come first. President Trump has explicitly stated his aim is to slash U.S. dependence on China and reclaim the global lead in technologies critical to both the economy and national security. Rare earth minerals are the lifeblood of everything from smartphones to missile guidance, and with supply chains vulnerable, his administration is refusing to wait in line.
The strategy draws a sharp line between American resolve and the international community’s slow-moving regulatory frameworks. The United States has never ratified the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, and the Trump administration now uses this as leverage, bypassing the International Seabed Authority’s sluggish bureaucracy and the demands of nations seeking to clip America’s wings. Trump, famously tough at the negotiating table, sees the mineral-rich depths not as a global commons for bureaucrats, but as a new frontier for U.S. power, prosperity, and leadership.
“We will never allow American innovation, jobs, and national security to be held hostage by foreign interests or outdated, globalist rules,” the president declared during a May rally in Youngstown, Ohio.
Key industry players are lining up behind Trump’s audacious approach. The Metals Company (TMC), helmed by CEO Gerard Barron, has openly shifted its messaging away from environmentalist talking points and toward prioritizing national security and competitiveness. As Barron argued in a January interview, “We must ensure the nation’s critical minerals energy security and industrial competitiveness … China is close behind.”
This seismic shift, merging resource extraction with geopolitical rivalry, is precisely the kind of America-first solution long championed by Trump supporters. Deep-sea mining is no longer a futuristic pipe dream—it’s now an imperative in the fight to preserve U.S. leadership and sovereignty in a hostile world.
The Global Backlash and the Technological Gauntlet: Can the U.S. Outrace China?
As Trump’s plan heads full steam toward the ocean floor, international critics and domestic doubters are raising alarms, but his supporters see a necessary, inevitable step in securing the U.S. future. China’s state media, quick to criticize any American effort, accused the Trump administration of breaking international law and destabilizing global norms. China called the order ‘a violation of international law.’ Yet for the America First crowd, these criticisms are little more than sour grapes from countries clinging to a status quo that doesn’t serve U.S. interests.
Meanwhile, the international bureaucracy is in uproar. The International Seabed Authority (ISA), with its 169 member states (plus the EU), has warned that any minerals mined outside their oversight could be blocked from global markets and distribution networks. Major companies—like Japan’s Pacific Metals Company—have delayed or halted collaborations until global rules are finalized, hoping to avoid a potential legal or commercial minefield. The Metals Company admits that a purely U.S. license may not be recognized abroad, potentially complicating logistics and sales, but in the Trump camp, this is seen as the price of bold leadership.
The international consensus ‘is simply an excuse for inaction and surrender to Chinese dominance,’ a senior Trump administration official stated in June, reflecting a widespread sentiment in American conservative circles.
Yet as disruptive as these diplomatic skirmishes are, they are only half the challenge. The technological hurdles are just as daunting. The U.S. currently lacks the full suite of technologies needed to harvest minerals from seabeds up to four kilometers deep—let alone process them at scale back home. Developing such metallurgical capacity could take years, perhaps even a decade, to bring online. Experts warn that mining and refining infrastructure is still in its infancy, with many unknowns remaining about the best way to extract nodules or process ores from the abyssal depths.
However, under Trump’s leadership, the Defense Department has poured $5.5 billion into securing critical minerals supply chains in the latest spending bill. The president is betting that with the right incentives—and the full backing of American ingenuity—these obstacles can be crushed. And as past booms in oil, gas, and steel have shown, when America focuses, the world follows.
America-First Minerals Strategy: Trade Deals, Policy Shifts, and the Conservative Playbook
The Trump White House is taking a sledgehammer to decades of failed, globalist minerals policy. Rather than watching American workers and companies lose out to foreign competitors, Trump’s strategy links critical minerals to trade, national security, and industrial revival. This hard-edged approach is already shaking up international deals, none more so than the new U.S. trade pact with Indonesia—a powerhouse in copper and vital battery metals.
Under the fresh Indonesia agreement, President Trump leverages U.S. military support and security guarantees in exchange for secure, long-term access to copper and other high-value minerals, driving a powerful “minerals-for-security” or “minerals-for-aid” dynamic. This isn’t just about trade; it’s about survival—and ensuring America is no longer held hostage by foreign powers or market manipulation. It’s a playbook straight from Trump’s signature dealmaking style, using U.S. might and creativity to turn rivals into partners, or at least sources.
Rare earths and battery metals aren’t just trendy talking points. They’re foundational for America’s ability to build electric vehicles, launch satellites, field advanced military platforms, and win the global innovation race. Trump’s focus on resource nationalism is an open challenge to decades of policy drift and an urgent wake-up call to both parties. The world is changing—and the U.S. must lead, not follow.
“America has been asleep at the wheel while adversaries locked up the resources of tomorrow. This ends now,” former Trump trade adviser Peter Navarro (R) asserted at a July minerals summit in Las Vegas.
The administration’s muscular strategy offers a template for how to reindustrialize while outfoxing global rivals, betting big on American talent and drive. For Trump and his backers, this approach is less about environmental platitudes and more about tangible jobs, technology, and U.S. security. Conservatives who have long called for less red tape, more jobs, and stronger borders see Trump’s deep-sea mining push as a necessary evolution, not a gamble.
Challenges remain—both in terms of global opposition and technical readiness—but Trump’s initiative marks a clear turning point. With the executive order setting a new course, investments from both government and industry are ramping up. The conservative bet is simple: American innovation, unshackled by indecision or globalist red tape, can outpace China and seize the minerals needed for prosperity, power, and peace.