DJT Lifts Tariffs on Certain High Tech Goods Even from China

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Customs and Border Patrol published a list of goods exempt from Donald Trump’s tariffs such as smartphones, laptops, flat panel displays, hard drives, semiconductors and machines that make semiconductors, backdated to 5 April 2025.

These goods appear to still be subject to an earlier 20% tariff when they come from China.

One consequence of this change is that although Trump claims to want manufacturing to return to the USA, a computer or smartphone made in the USA will be more expensive than one made abroad. Tariffs will still apply to most of the components that must be imported to make the device, but tariffs will not apply to the device if it is made entirely abroad.

With these exemptions, Trump punished high tech manufacturing within the USA and encouraged more such manufacturing abroad.

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