What the proclamation provides
According to a report by Ars Technica, President Donald Trump issued a presidential proclamation on October 28 that classifies imports of foreign-made industrial robots as a national security threat. The measure orders new negotiations with U.S. trading partners and does not rule out the possibility of introducing tariffs on such imports in the future.
The text attributes to an investigation conducted under Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick the conclusion that imports of industrial robots expose the American industrial apparatus to risks and threaten the country's long-term competitiveness in a sector described as increasingly crucial to national security. The proclamation further describes robots and industrial machinery as essential to the production of American weapons systems and as a driving force across all critical infrastructure sectors. The investigation reportedly also found specific security risks linked to possible cyber vulnerabilities with serious consequences for the United States.
The companies affected and the comparison with July 2026
The crackdown affects U.S. companies that depend on robots for production: Ars Technica cites Detroit automakers General Motors and Ford, electric vehicle manufacturer Tesla and aerospace and defense groups Boeing and Lockheed Martin. Large American groups often buy robotic arms from the four main manufacturers — FANUC, ABB, Yaskawa and KUKA — headquartered in Japan, Switzerland and Germany; according to the material, no U.S. company currently offers equivalent hardware for large industrial robotic arms.
The proclamation differs from a previous intervention in July 2026, when the FCC banned new models of foreign robots such as robotic vacuum cleaners, four-legged robot dogs and humanoid robots, while explicitly excluding industrial arms and fixed or stationary robots used in factories and warehouses. The new measure therefore shifts attention precisely to that previously spared category. The text acknowledges that American companies do not produce enough industrial robots to meet national security needs and that the country depends on imports for most types of industrial robots and machinery and for their components.
Timeline, costs and open questions
The proclamation aims for new agreements with trading partners within 180 days of its issuance. If they are not reached, the president reserves the right to take further action, including tariffs, duties, quotas and fees on imports: measures that, Ars Technica observes, would be paid by American importing companies and could increase manufacturing costs. The text does not impose a direct ban on imports.
Several elements remain to be verified: which trading partners will be involved in the negotiations, which agreements will actually be reached and whether the tariff measures will be applied. The material recalls that large American companies can obtain exemptions from the Trump administration to continue using foreign robots even in the presence of a nominal ban, as reportedly happened recently for Intel. Amazon, too, which has sharply increased its in-house robot production, continues to use foreign devices such as Japanese FANUC arms. Finally, the proclamation cites the nearly 38,500 new industrial robot installations in the United States in 2025, according to the International Federation of Robotics, with the country the world's second-largest market by use.
