Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt shares headline: “Trump To Speed Permits For Deep-Sea Mining In International Waters”

[Tweet link](https://x.com/PressSec/status/2014013096474403046)

Assistant to the President and the 36th White House **Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt** just tweeted the following news article: [https://www.reuters.com/world/trump-speed-permits-deep-sea-mining-international-waters-2026-01-21/](https://www.reuters.com/world/trump-speed-permits-deep-sea-mining-international-waters-2026-01-21/)

**$TMC** is the clearest “pure play” beneficiary here, in my opinion, because its already in the U.S. permitting lane, with its U.S. subsidiary pursuing NOAA authorizations to explore and potentially recover polymetallic nodules in the high seas.

She posted from the official u/PressSec account and shared the headline: **“Trump to speed permits for deep-sea mining in international waters.”** The post points to the Trump administration’s push to **accelerate NOAA’s licensing/permitting process** for U.S. companies seeking to explore and potentially mine **polymetallic nodules** (rich in minerals like nickel, copper, and cobalt) in **international waters**, framed as part of securing critical minerals and countering China’s dominance. The move builds on a prior executive order directing faster permitting for seabed minerals.