Trump Signals Tariffs Coming for Smartphones and Electronics, Including Apple—Despite Temporary Exemptions
1min read U.S. President Trump confirmed over the weekend that tariffs on smartphones, computers, and other consumer electronics will proceed as planned. An official announcement is expected on Monday, despite a temporary exemption announced on last Friday. This pause was described as procedural, with Trump emphasizing that the products would merely shift into a different tariff category.
"We wanted to uncomplicate it from a lot of other companies, because we want to make our chips and semiconductors and other things in our country," Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One as he traveled back to Washington from his West Palm Beach estate.
Trump said he would announce a new tariff rate on imported semiconductors on Monday, while also launching a national security investigation into the entire electronics supply chain. "We are taking a look at Semiconductors and the WHOLE ELECTRONICS SUPPLY CHAIN in the upcoming National Security Tariff Investigations," he wrote on social media.
While Friday's exemptions excluded smartphones, chipmaking equipment, and certain computers from the steep 125% reciprocal tariffs on China, Trump and his administration quickly made it clear these products won't avoid tariffs for long.
"NOBODY is getting 'off the hook' for the unfair Trade Balances, and Non-Monetary Tariff Barriers, that other Countries have used against us, especially not China which, by far, treats us the worst!" Trump posted on Truth Social. He added that the excluded electronics were "just moving to a different Tariff 'bucket'."
Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick reinforced this message, saying that while some tech products were spared from the reciprocal tariff list, they will be included in the upcoming sector-specific levies.
"He's saying they're exempt from the reciprocal tariffs," Lutnick said on ABC's This Week. "But they're included in the semiconductor tariffs, which are coming in probably a month or two." He noted the new duties would also cover smartphones, computers, and pharmaceuticals—products the administration views as critical to U.S. national security.
When asked whether tariffs on iPhones might return within a month, Lutnick confirmed: "Correct. That's right . . . We need our medicines and we need semiconductors and our electronics to be built in America."
Despite the aggressive rhetoric, Trump left room for negotiation. "You have to show a certain flexibility. Nobody should be so rigid," he said. "We'll be discussing it, but we'll also talk to companies."
The back-and-forth messaging has stirred fresh volatility in markets. The S&P 500 is down more than 10% since Trump's inauguration in January, driven in part by his aggressive tariff agenda.
Still, the administration remains resolute. Trump's move marks a shift from the earlier steel and aluminum tariffs, with officials promising a faster, more targeted implementation timeline. The semiconductor duties are expected within weeks, and could dramatically reshape global tech supply chains.