Trump vows nobody getting 'off the hook' for 'unfair' trade balances, says there was no tariff 'exception'
President Donald Trump vowed on Sunday that nobody was getting "off the hook" for unfair trade balances and tariff barriers, which other countries have used against the U.S.
The Trump administration announced Friday that it was exempting imported smartphones, laptops and other electronics from reciprocal tariffs, but the president wanted to clear a few things up.
"There was no Tariff ‘exception’ announced on Friday," Trump said in a post on X on Sunday. "These products are subject to the existing 20% Fentanyl Tariffs, and they are just moving to a different Tariff 'bucket.’ The Fake News knows this, but refuses to report it. We are taking a look at Semiconductors and the WHOLE ELECTRONICS SUPPLY CHAIN in the upcoming National Security Tariff Investigations.
"What has been exposed is that we need to make products in the United States, and that we will not be held hostage by other Countries, especially hostile trading Nations like China, which will do everything within its power to disrespect the American People," he continued. "We also cannot let them continue to abuse us on Trade, like they have for decades, THOSE DAYS ARE OVER!"
TRUMP'S TARIFF BLITZ NOW EXEMPTING ELECTRICAL GOODS LIKE PHONES, LAPTOPS
Trump closed out his post by saying the Golden Age of America will mean "more and better paying jobs" as well as making products in the U.S. and treating other countries as they have treated America.
"The bottom line is that our Country will be bigger, better, and stronger than ever before," he said. "We will MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!"
Customs and Border Protection issued new guidance on reciprocal tariff negotiations late Friday, noting the exemption of those goods from Trump’s April 2 executive order that declared a national emergency due to non-reciprocal trade practices and structural imbalances in the global trading system. Subsequent executive orders ramped up tariffs on China to 125%.
The updated guidance, which cites a presidential memorandum issued Friday, excluded the products from Trump’s 125% China tariff and his baseline 10% global tariff on some countries. They apply to goods that left a warehouse as of April 5.
The new move will likely ease the blow for consumers while giving a boost to electronics giants such as Apple, Samsung and Dell.
A White House official confirmed to Fox News that the exemptions were put in place.
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Products included in the exemption are things like hard drives, computer processors, solar cells, semiconductor manufacturing equipment, flat-panel TV displays and memory chips.
But in light of the easing of tariffs on electronics, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said Sunday the exemption would be temporary.
"They’re exempt from the reciprocal tariffs, but they’re included in the semiconductor tariffs, which are coming in probably a month or two," Lutnick told ABC’s "This Week" on Sunday.
Lutnick’s comments Sunday made clear that more changes were on the horizon.
Trump told reporters on Air Force One on Saturday night that he would get into more specifics on exemptions on Monday.
"We’ve been making a lot of money," he said. "It’s been the other way around. Other countries, in particular China, was making a lot of money."
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In a statement issued Saturday, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt did not specifically address the exemptions but indicated the administration still plans to push for tech companies to move manufacturing to the U.S.
She said the administration has secured U.S. investments from tech companies, including Apple, TSMC and Nvidia, that are "hustling to onshore their manufacturing in the United States as soon as possible."
Fox News Digital’s Michael Dorgan, Brie Stimson and Sarah Tobianski, as well as the Associated Press, contributed to this report.