Trump Temporarily Exempts Tech Products from New Tariffs

by Emmitt Barry, Worthy News Correspondent

(Worthy News) – President Donald Trump has exempted smartphones, computers, chips, and other tech components—many from China—from his reciprocal tariffs, according to new U.S. Customs and Border Protection guidance.

The U.S. Customs and Border Protection announced late Friday that a wide range of electronics will be exempt from President Trump’s tariff policy—a significant win for consumers and tech giants like Apple.

“All products that are properly classified in these listed provisions will be excluded from the reciprocal tariffs,” the announcement read.

Citing a memo from President Trump, the agency confirmed that products such as routers, semiconductors, memory cards, and flat-screen TVs will avoid the new duties.

The guidance follows Trump’s recent move to impose 145% tariffs on Chinese imports, a decision that had raised concerns for companies like Apple, which manufactures most of its devices in China.

White House deputy press secretary Kush Desai explained that Trump “has made it clear America cannot rely on China to manufacture critical technologies such as semiconductors, chips, smartphones, and laptops.”

“At the direction of the President, these companies are hustling to onshore their manufacturing in the United States as soon as possible,” Desai added.

Earlier this month, President Trump announced a baseline 10% tariff on multiple countries, alongside steeper reciprocal tariffs on others. However, on Wednesday, he paused most of those reciprocal tariffs for 90 days—except for China, where duties were sharply increased by 125%.

In response, Beijing hiked tariffs on U.S. goods by 84%. The White House stated Saturday that the exemptions were granted to give companies time to shift production to the United States.

The president’s decision came as global markets tumbled following his “Liberation Day” announcement and as targeted countries signaled a willingness to negotiate.

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