US President Donald Trump has ruled that imports of foreign-made industrial robots pose a threat to national security. The proclamation, signed on October 28, 2026, imposes no tariffs for now, but launches new negotiations with trading partners and leaves the door open to future duties.
The move follows an investigation by the Commerce Department led by Howard Lutnick, which concluded that imports of these machines put the American industrial base and the country's competitiveness at risk in a sector that is growing more strategic. The document also points to cybersecurity vulnerabilities that, according to the probe, could have serious consequences. The wording echoes the justification the Federal Communications Commission used in July, when the same administration restricted authorizations for robot vacuums, robot dogs and humanoid robots; that measure, however, excluded industrial arms and fixed robots used in car plants and warehouses.
The proclamation sets a 180-day deadline: by then Washington aims to reach agreements with partners. Without a deal, the president may introduce tariffs, duties, quotas or fees on imports. Those costs would fall on the American companies that bring the robots in, likely raising manufacturing costs. The United States is now the second-largest market for industrial robots, with roughly 38,500 new installations in 2025.
The real issue is dependence on abroad. The large robotic arms used by carmakers and aerospace firms come almost entirely from four manufacturers based in Japan, Switzerland and Germany: FANUC, ABB, Yaskawa and KUKA. No American company currently offers equivalent heavy-duty hardware, although foreign makers are expanding their US engineering and assembly sites. Even Amazon, which has built its own robots, still uses Japanese FANUC arms. The proclamation itself acknowledges that US firms do not produce enough robots to meet national security needs.
If tariffs arrive, they would stop short of a full import ban. It is worth noting that, as the Intel case showed, major American companies can obtain exemptions from the administration even when a ban is in force.
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