Copper Tariffs, Redacted Hype & Retail Risk: A Warning Shot for Investors

Highlights

• Trump’s 50% copper import tariff sparks potential reshoring of U.S. copper production
• Viral media promotions highlight speculative copper stocks like Giant Mining Corp with significant investor risks
• Investors urged to carefully scrutinize mineral resource estimates and promotional content before investing

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As former President Donald Trump’s 50% copper import tariff looms, retail investors are being blitzed with “urgent opportunity” messages—from YouTube influencers to newsletter blasts. The most recent, a viral Redacted podcast (opens in a new tab) funded by Gold Standard Media, hypes domestic copper plays like Giant Mining Corp (opens in a new tab) as the vanguard of a U.S. “golden age” of reindustrialization. This is a high risk penny stock (opens in a new tab). Yes it could strike it big, and we would celebrate. But investors do your homework.

But here’s the _Rare Earth Exchanges_™ breakdown. Fist the hypothesis:

The underlying case made by the Redacted video and its sponsor is clear:

• China dominates logistics and rare earths.
• Copper is now a national security material, second only to aluminum and steel.
• Trump’s 50% tariff aims to reshore U.S. copper production.
• U.S.-based juniors like Giant Mining could surge.

That logic contains truth, but also risks buried under patriotic urgency.

So what’s real:

• The U.S. imports roughly half of its refined copper, as cited by USGS.
• Tariffs can drive price dislocation, creating short-term pricing arbitrage and higher demand for domestic sources.
• Copper is essential to semiconductors, electrification, and defense platforms.

 What’s Missing (and or Misleading):

1. Giant Mining Corp’s Project Is Not Yet Proven:
   

   The company’s Nevada asset is not producing and appears to rely on a 2013 historical NI 43-101 estimate, which does not include recent drilling and is explicitly noted to lack economic viability (“Mineral resources that are not reserves do not have demonstrated economic viability”). If we are incorrect and uncover more information, we will gladly update this.

2. Investor-Targeted Promotion, Not Journalism:
   

   Redacted’s episode was a paid advertisement, not an independent report. Gold Standard Media LLC sponsored the content—something buried in disclaimers, not headlines.

3. Share Price Context Omitted:
   

   The video pushes urgency around Giant’s stock being “down 50%,” without acknowledging that many microcap juniors fall 50–70% in exploration cycles, tariff news or not. Drilling results, permitting, metallurgy, and financing matter far more than political theater.

4. Retail Investor Risk is High
   

   Giant Mining’s promotional model fits the classic paid-stock-promotion playbook: patriotic framing, geopolitical urgency, and speculative junior positioned as the next great winner.

Our Take

Copper is critical, and reshoring production is essential. But that doesn’t mean every copper junior is a national security asset. Retail investors should tread carefully, scrutinize NI 43-101 filings, and beware of media content that blurs the line between news and paid hype.

Conclusion:

Trump’s tariff may indeed spark a strategic copper revival—but investing in the wrong project at the wrong time could burn investors chasing the right idea. At Rare Earth Exchanges™, we believe in critical mineral exposure—but not at the cost of critical thinking.

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