The Trump administration announced an exemption for imported smartphones, laptops, and other electronics from reciprocal tariffs. Updated guidance from Customs and Border Patrol, issued late Friday, detailed this exemption from President Trump’s April 2 executive order, which had declared a national emergency due to non-reciprocal trade practices and structural imbalances in the global trading system. Further executive actions had previously increased tariffs on Chinese goods to 125%.
The new presidential memorandum clarified that these products are not included in either the 125% tariff on China or the 10% global tariff applied to certain countries. These exemptions affect goods leaving a warehouse as of April 5.
The exemption is expected to reduce financial strain on consumers and benefit major electronics companies like Apple, Samsung, and Dell. A White House representative confirmed the exemptions to Fox News. In addition to smartphones and laptops, other exempted items include hard drives, computer processors, solar cells, semiconductor manufacturing equipment, flat-panel TV displays, and memory chips. These items are not widely manufactured in the United States, and establishing domestic production could take considerable time, as noted by Bloomberg.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt relayed that President Trump stressed America’s inability to depend on China for manufacturing essential technologies. The President has reportedly secured substantial investment from major tech firms like Apple, TSMC, and Nvidia to expedite domestic manufacturing.
Data from the U.S. International Trade Commission shows China currently accounts for nearly 25% of all electronic goods imported into the U.S.
President Trump recently imposed a 90-day suspension on customized reciprocal tariffs affecting dozens of nations, a shift from previous assertions of non-stop tariff negotiations. Meanwhile, tariffs on China were increased to 125%, prompting reciprocal tariff hikes on U.S. goods by China.
According to a Trump administration official, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick influenced the decision to pause tariffs, citing a series of goodwill commitments from trading partners eager to renegotiate terms favorable to the U.S.
President Trump’s priority remains addressing the trade deficit emergency, aiming to secure 90 bilateral trade agreements within the 90-day suspension period.
The information was contributed to by Fox News’ Emma Colton.