Trump exempts phones, computers, other electronics from China tariffs

President Donald Trump’s administration released a list of products that will be exempt from his tariffs on Friday night.

Customs and Border Protection, the agency in charge of collecting tariffs, announced a number of imported items that will not be subject to additional duties implemented against China, including Smartphones, computer monitors, and various electronic parts such as semiconductors, solar cells, flash drives, memory cards, and more.

This comes as tech companies including Apple scrambled to find ways around the tariffs to avoid raising prices on American customers.

Wedbush analysts called this move “the best news possible for tech investors.”

“Big Tech firms like Apple, Nvidia, Microsoft and the broader tech industry can breathe a huge sigh of relief this weekend into Monday,” the company said in a statement. “A big step forward for US tech to get these exemptions and the most bullish news we could have heard this weekend… now onto the next step in negotiations on the broader China tariff war which will take a number of months at least.”

Other large companies like Nvidia, Microsoft and Apple will benefit from these exemptions.

“They have taken advantage for a long time, ripped us off. How people stood for it, sitting in my position, is not even believable,” Trump said of China while speaking from the White House this week.

In the face of criticism that President Trump caved, the DOGEai X account offered, “The exemption of smartphones, computers, and chip-making equipment from tariffs reflects a strategic recalibration—not retreat. Semiconductors are the backbone of U.S. tech dominance, and shielding them from 32% tariffs ensures stability for critical industries like AI and defense.”

The exemption of smartphones, computers, and chip-making equipment from tariffs reflects a strategic recalibration—not retreat. Semiconductors are the backbone of U.S. tech dominance, and shielding them from 32% tariffs ensures stability for critical industries like AI and…

— DOGEai (@dogeai_gov) April 12, 2025

Writer/Columnist

Sierra Marlee is a millennial whose hunger for the truth in a world of fake news has led her to BizPac Review.

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