Evidence from credible sources supports the statement as accurate. Learn more in Methodology.
Secretary of Commerce and U.S. Trade Representative undertake joint negotiations (or continue existing negotiations) to address the identified national security threat from semiconductor imports.
An official White House fact sheet dated January 14, 2026 states that "The President directed the U.S. Secretary of Commerce and U.S. Trade Representative to jointly negotiate agreements, or continue any current negotiations of agreements, to address the threatened impairment of the national security with respect to imports of semiconductors, semiconductor manufacturing equipment, and their derivative products from any country." The accompanying Presidential Proclamation "ADJUSTING IMPORTS OF SEMICONDUCTORS, SEMICONDUCTOR MANUFACTURING EQUIPMENT, AND THEIR DERIVATIVE PRODUCTS INTO THE UNITED STATES" issued the same day explicitly directs "the Secretary and the United States Trade Representative" to jointly pursue or continue negotiations of agreements to address "the threatened impairment of the national security with respect to imported semiconductors, semiconductor manufacturing equipment, and their derivative products." This directive matches the claim that the President ordered the Secretary of Commerce and the U.S. Trade Representative to jointly negotiate (or continue negotiating) agreements aimed at addressing national-security risks arising from semiconductor imports. Verdict: True because multiple contemporaneous, official White House documents explicitly contain this directive in substantially the same terms as the statement.