The Trump administration has decided to exempt imported smartphones, laptops, and various electronics from reciprocal tariffs. Late Friday, Customs and Border Patrol released new guidance concerning reciprocal tariff negotiations, highlighting the exclusion of such goods from President Trump’s executive order dated April 2. This executive order had declared a national emergency due to non-reciprocal trade practices and global trade imbalances, subsequently elevating tariffs on China to 125%.
According to the updated guidance, which references a presidential memorandum also issued on Friday, the excluded products will not be subject to Trump’s 125% China tariff or the baseline 10% global tariff on certain countries. These exemptions apply to goods that left a warehouse starting April 5.
This move is projected to lessen the burden on consumers and could be advantageous for major electronics manufacturers like Apple, Samsung, and Dell. A White House official confirmed the implementation of these exemptions to Fox News.
Additionally, the exemptions extend to other electronic goods including hard drives, computer processors, solar cells, semiconductor manufacturing equipment, flat panel TV displays, and memory chips. Most of these consumer electronics are not manufactured in the U.S., and establishing domestic production could take significant time, as noted by Bloomberg.
Karoline Leavitt, White House press secretary, stated to Fox News that President Trump has emphasized the need for the U.S. to avoid relying on China for the production of essential technologies such as semiconductors, chips, smartphones, and laptops. She mentioned that, under the President’s guidance, major tech companies including Apple, TSMC, and Nvidia are urgently working to move their manufacturing to the U.S. as soon as possible.
China currently represents approximately 25% of all electronic goods imported into the U.S., based on data from the U.S. International Trade Commission.
On Wednesday, President Trump announced a 90-day suspension on reciprocal, customized tariffs imposed on several nations. This decision marked a significant shift from his earlier stance of not pausing these tariffs, opting instead for negotiations. Meanwhile, the Trump administration escalated its tariff rate on China to 125%, prompting China to reciprocate with a tariff increase on U.S. imports, from 84% to 125%, amid the ongoing trade conflict between the two countries.
An official from the Trump administration informed Fox News Digital that the pause resulted after Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick advised the President to temporarily suspend these tariffs. This advice followed positive commitments from trading partners to renegotiate agreements favorably for the U.S.
The Trump administration views this 90-day pause as an opportunity for countries to finalize bilateral agreements with the U.S., with the President’s aim being to secure 90 deals in 90 days. The official emphasized that although the administration was monitoring market volatility on Wednesday, President Trump’s main focus remains on effectively addressing the national emergency related to trade deficits.
Emma Colton from Fox News contributed to this report.
