He gave the official green light to the deal in an executive order on Friday.

Nippon agreed to pay $55 per share and take on the company’s debt, a deal worth $14.9bn together.

It said it had also promised the government it would invest $11bn in US Steel by 2028, including a new facility that would be completed after that year.

It also granted the US government a “golden share” in the company, giving the government say over key decisions, including the transfer of jobs or production outside of the US, and certain calls to close or idle factories.