Nippon Steel Corp. and United States Steel Corp. are on pace to finalize their $14.1 billion combination with President Donald Trump’s administration before a deal deadline later this month, capping an 18-month saga to combine the steelmakers into the world’s second-largest producer.

By Jeff Mason, Alexandra Alper and Trevor Hunnicutt WEST MIFFLIN, Pennsylvania (Reuters) -U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday lauded an "agreement" between Nippon Steel and U.S. Steel at a political rally but stopped short of clarifying whether he planned to approve the companies' diplomatically sensitive merger.

President Donald Trump announced a partnership between U.S. Steel and Japanese steelmaker Nippon that he says will keep the headquarters in Pittsburgh and draw $14 billion in investment toward the US economy.