Trump Excludes Smartphones To Electronic Devices From Counter Tariffs

REUTERS/Kent J. Edwards/File Photo

Trump Excludes Smartphones To Electronic Devices From Counter Tariffs

Tuesday, 15 Apr 2025

The Trump administration has exempted smartphones, computers and other electronic devices from previously announced retaliatory tariffs, potentially easing the burden on consumers and benefiting tech giants like Apple Inc. and Samsung Electronics Co. The exemptions were announced Friday night by U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Bloomberg reported. The decision will narrow the scope of products subject to tariffs of 125% on imports from China and 10% on nearly all U.S. trading partners. The exemptions will include smartphones, laptops, hard drives, computer processors and memory chips. These electronic products are generally not manufactured domestically in the United States, and manufacturing facilities can take years to build. Other products exempted from Trump’s tariffs include semiconductor-making machines. This could benefit companies like Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC), which recently announced a major investment in the U.S., as well as other chipmakers. However, the tariff relief could be temporary. The exception instructions actually come from the initial order that prevents the accumulation of additional tariffs on top of existing country tariffs. In addition, this exception instruction also indicates that these products will likely be subject to different tariffs, with China as the target of lower tariffs.

One prominent exception is on semiconductor products which have been mentioned as being subject to special tariffs by Trump. Based on Bloomberg's records, Trump's sectoral tariffs have so far been set at 25%. However, the amount of tariffs that will be applied to semiconductors and related products is not yet clear. Meanwhile, the White House has not commented on this policy.

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