A bizarre press conference held this Monday by Lourenco Goncalves, CEO of Ohio-based steelmaker Cleveland Cliffs, further underscored the imprudence of President Joe Biden’s move to nix Tokyo-based Nippon Steel’s acquisition of U.

Citing national security concerns and following an expansive but divided Treasury Department review, President Joe Biden recently decided to deny the $14 billion purchase of U.S. Steel Corp. by the Japanese firm Nippon Steel. The decision is final, at least for now, but both companies have already brought suit to overturn it.

In dual lawsuits filed Jan. 6, U.S. Steel Corp. and Nippon Steel Corp. blame the Biden administration's politicizing its national-security review as well as the behind-the-scenes actions by rival Cleveland-Cliffs Inc. and United Steelworkers International President David McCall for scuttling the $14.9 billion deal.

Cleveland-Cliffs Inc. CEO Lourenco Goncalves repeatedly predicted President Joe Biden would block Nippon Steel Corp.'s proposed $14.9 billion acquisition of United States Steel Corp. months before it happened,

Nippon's offer to buy USS was $14 billion while, according to Cliff CEO Lourenco Goncalves, Cliffs' final bid was $13.8 billion. Before Biden killed the Nippon deal, a bipartisan group, including incoming President Donald Trump, also opposed the deal.

U.S. Steel shares jumped Monday on a report that Cleveland-Cliffs is teaming up with rival Nucor for a potential bid for the company, whose $14.1 billion buyout by Nippon Steel was recently blocked by President Joe Biden.

Japan Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba asked U.S. President Joe Biden to allay concerns in the Japanese and U.S. business communities over the status of Nippon Steel’s 5401.T planned acquisition of U.S.

In dual lawsuits filed Monday, United States Steel Corp. and Nippon Steel Corp. blame the Biden administration's politicizing its national-security review and behind-the-scenes actions by a rival.

US Steel and Nippon, whose $14.3 billion merger was blocked by President Joe Biden last week, filed a lawsuit against the US government Monday, claiming Biden’s executive order to bar the companies from combining was signed for “purely political reasons.

Separate lawsuits from Nippon Steel and U.S. Steel target President Joe Biden as well as a steelworkers union head and a rival steelmaker’s CEO.

U.S. Steel and Nippon Steel said on Monday that it is suing over President Joe Biden's decision to block its sales agreement and a domestic competitor and union over their actions to scuttle the deal.