President Trump said Sunday he’ll announce tariffs on semiconductor chips “over the next week,” though he indicated he could offer flexibility to some companies.
Why it matters: The White House indicated on Friday that smartphones and computers would be exempted from the 125% import levies Trump imposed on China, where Apple assembles most of its iPhones.
Driving the news: The White House on Friday listed semiconductors as “excepted products” from China import levies in a memorandum titled “Clarification of Exceptions Under Executive Order 14257 of April 2, 2025, as Amended.”
- However, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick told ABC News Sunday the relief for smartphones and other electronics was only temporary.
What he’s saying: Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One as he traveled back to D.C. from Mar-a-Lago administration officials would discuss tariffs on products like iPhones and tablets with companies “because you have to show a certain flexibility, nobody should be so rigid.”
- When asked if there would be flexibility for some products, Trump replied: “For some products.” He declined to say which ones.
- Trump earlier Sunday denied in a Truth Social post that a tariff exception had been made on Friday and said administration officials were “taking a look at Semiconductors and the WHOLE ELECTRONICS SUPPLY CHAIN in the upcoming National Security Tariff Investigations.”
- He told reporters on Air Force One his administration “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.”
Thought bubble, via Axios’ Courtenay Brown: The weekend began with welcome news for tech giants Apple and Nvidia that rely heavily on Chinese imports. It ends with Trump suggesting any tariff relief for imports of electronics from China will be fleeting — the latest reversal in White House trade policy that threatens to slam the economy.
Go deeper: China’s Xi says tariffs war “will produce no winner”
Editor’s note: This article has been updated with new details throughout.