US President Donald Trump has announced sweeping exemptions from his administration’s steep import tariffs on electronic devices, including smartphones, laptops and semiconductors, offering a major reprieve to US tech companies amid growing industry concerns.
The exemptions, effective retroactively from 5 April, apply to goods targeted by both the 10% global import tariff and the 125% “reciprocal” tariff imposed on imports from China.
The move is the first significant easing of Trump’s tariff campaign against Beijing, which had seen tit-for-tat escalation in recent weeks, including a 145% US tariff on some Chinese goods and an 84% Chinese countermeasure.
“We’ll be very specific,” Trump said aboard Air Force One, as he travelled to Miami, “But we’re taking in a lot of money. As a country, we’re taking in a lot of money.”
The decision followed urgent lobbying by American tech giants such as Apple, Nvidia and Microsoft, who warned that costs would skyrocket due to their dependence on Chinese manufacturing.
Dan Ives, global tech research head at Wedbush Securities, called it a “game-changer scenario”, especially for firms reliant on chip production.
Apple, which reportedly makes 80% of its US-bound iPhones in China, had been preparing to expand production in India, while Samsung and others continue to diversify into Vietnam.
The White House justified the exemption as a temporary measure to allow tech firms to relocate supply chains.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement, “President Trump has made it clear America cannot rely on China to manufacture critical technologies such as semiconductors, chips, smartphones, and laptops. At the direction of the president, these companies are hustling to onshore their manufacturing in the United States as soon as possible.”
Despite the exemptions, the affected electronic goods remain subject to a separate 20% levy linked to efforts to combat fentanyl imports, according to Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller.
Estimates had suggested that without the exemption, iPhone prices could have tripled in the US, due to passed-on manufacturing costs.
Meanwhile, Trump confirmed that countries not retaliating against US tariffs would receive a 90-day pause on steeper duties, facing only a 10% blanket tariff until July — a move described as a negotiating tactic to strengthen US trade leverage.
“I think something positive is going to come out of that,” Trump added, referencing his relationship with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
The latest exemptions mark a dramatic shift in trade policy, as Trump doubles down on reshaping global supply chains while attempting to shield key domestic industries from the fallout.
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