Apple will not be exempt from tariffs after all, with U.S. President Donald Trump working on new semiconductor levies that will likely impact Apple devices, chips from companies like Nvidia, and other electronics.
Over the weekend, the U.S. Customers and Border Protection agency shared a long list of electronic devices excluded from the current tariffs, including iPhones, iPads, Macs, the Apple Watch, and more. Apple scored a reprieve from the 145 percent tariff impacting goods imported from China and the 10 percent tariff on goods imported from other countries, but it doesn't sound like it's going to last.
On his Truth Social network, Trump said that no one is "getting off the hook" and there "was no tariff exception." Apple and other tech companies are "just moving to a different tariff bucket," with the 20 percent "Fentanyl Tariffs" still in place, and additional tariffs coming.
Trump said that his administration will be "taking a look" at semiconductors and the electronics supply chain in the National Security Tariff Investigations. He also reiterated that "we need to make products in the United States." Trump is expected to announce some kind of semiconductor tariff in the coming days.
Trump has suggested that Apple could manufacture the iPhone and other products in the United States, but even if such a move were not wildly expensive, Apple would not be able to find enough people with the necessary skillset to assemble devices in the quantities needed. U.S. manufacturing would also drive the cost of the iPhone up significantly.
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