Republican party starts to split as Trump hits the economy
Some Republicans express their discontent after President Donald Trump imposes tariffs affecting the economy.
WASHINGTON ― The Trump administration has exempted smartphones, computers, and other electronic imports from President Donald Trump’s reciprocal tariffs, mitigating the potential impact on the pricing of many popular tech products in the U.S.
The exclusions, released late Friday in updated guidance from the U.S. Customs and Border Protection, include electronic imports from China, which have been targeted with 125% reciprocal tariffs. Products such as hard drives, memory chips, flat-screen television screens, and semiconductors are also among those exempt.
This change represents a major shift in Trump’s assertive tariff strategy amid a growing trade conflict between the U.S. and China. The administration has indicated that China is not one of the 75 countries that recently reached out to the U.S. for prospective trade agreements following Trump’s recent announcement regarding reciprocal tariffs.
The White House has not yet responded to requests for comments.
Trump’s extensive tariffs on China have posed a serious risk to Apple Inc., which manufactures the majority of its products in China, including the well-known iPhone. Microsoft and Samsung Electronics are other significant tech companies that produce overseas and send products to the U.S.
Tim Cook, the CEO of Apple Inc., is among several tech leaders who have made efforts to gain favor with the Trump administration as it implements tariffs that could significantly affect their companies. Cook had a meeting with Trump at the White House in February and contributed $1 million to his inaugural committee.
Bloomberg initially reported on the tariff exemptions.
While semiconductors are exempt from the tariffs, Trump has previously entertained the idea of imposing specific tariffs on semiconductor imports from all nations. However, such tariffs have yet to be enforced.
Although these tech products are excluded from the 125% reciprocal tariffs on China, they are still subject to the 20% tariffs that Trump had previously implemented in retaliation against China regarding the manufacturing of fentanyl.
In response to the turbulence in the stock market, Trump announced on Wednesday a 90-day delay for reciprocal tariffs he had imposed across various countries, while maintaining a lower universal baseline 10% tariff on all imports.
Additionally, Trump has increased tariffs on China, bringing the overall tariff rate on Chinese imports to 145%, which has prompted Beijing to retaliate with its own tariffs on U.S. exports.
Contact Joey Garrison on X @joeygarrison.
