Front Burner

Is Trump coming for Canada's critical minerals?

Could access to critical minerals be what’s really behind Trump’s threats against Canada, Greenland and Ukraine?
Refined tellurium is shown at the Rio Tinto Kennecott refinery Wednesday, May 11, 2022, in Magna, Utah. The Utah copper mining company will begin manufacturing the rare mineral used in solar panels that used to be discarded along with the other mine tailings.
Refined tellurium is shown at the Rio Tinto Kennecott refinery Wednesday, May 11, 2022, in Magna, Utah. The Utah copper mining company will begin manufacturing the rare mineral used in solar panels that used to be discarded along with the other mine tailings. (Rick Bowmer/The Associated Press)

It can be hard to truly understand the motivations behind Donald Trump and his administration. But when looking at some of the countries that have found themselves in his crosshairs, there's a throughline that binds them. Canada, Greenland and Ukraine are all rich in critical mineral resources. These metals are used in everything from cell phones to EV batteries to fighter jets.

As the global race to shore up critical minerals and challenge China's dominance heats up, could that be one of the factors driving the U.S. as they challenge and antagonize other countries on the world stage? Jacob Lorinc, mining reporter at Bloomberg, joins us to talk about the critical minerals rush and why competing could be more complicated than it seems. 

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