Trump exempts smartphones from ‘reciprocal’ tariffs
www.ft.com
Dispensation is first sign of softening of levies against China and provides a big boost for Apple

Archive: https://archive.is/2025.04.12-132331/https://www.ft.com/content/3eb48a07-7cb0-4a44-9159-eb5b402c2fec

The Trump administration has excluded smartphones from its steep “reciprocal” tariffs as it battles to calm global markets by tempering its approach to the multifront trade war launched by the president.

According to a notice posted late on Friday night by Customs and Border Patrol, which is responsible for collecting tariffs, smartphones, along with routers and selected computers and laptops, would be exempt from reciprocal tariffs, which include the 125 per cent levies Donald Trump has imposed on Chinese imports.

  • Geetnerd@lemmy.worldEnglish
    36·
    2 days ago

    Of course he did.

    This whole tariff thing was a shakedown, and a strategy to enrich his cronies via stock manipulation.

    • null_dot@lemmy.dbzer0.comEnglish
      251·
      2 days ago

      While that may be what happened on Friday, declaring that to be the intended outcome ascribes waaaay too much forethought and planning to what is happening. There is none. That’s the truly horrifying part. In the last week Don has lost more money than anyone ever in the history of the world and he has achieved that by surrounding himself by yes-barbi’s and yes-ken’s and then acting on vibe-based meme-level reasoning with no filter.

      • Geetnerd@lemmy.worldEnglish
        16·
        2 days ago

        But his uber rich masters made out like bandits buying up the depreciated stock, then reselling when they rose days later. Green is in the spotlight over it, because she’s so arrogant, being a trust fund millionaire’s daughter, that she thinks she’s untouchable.

        Let’s be clear. Trump is a demented, narcissistic idiot, a useful fool. He’s not in charge of anything. He’s doddering around his golf course. The people who are handling him for the Oligarchs, and the Oligarchs themselves, are the true danger.

        • null_dot@lemmy.dbzer0.comEnglish
          111·
          2 days ago

          I’m not going to disagree with that, there are certainly people who are benefiting from his chaotic nature, and how easily manipulated he is.

          That said, I still think it’s a mistake to think that anyone has any strategy or plan.

          • Geetnerd@lemmy.worldEnglish
            5·
            2 days ago

            As I stated, Trump doesn’t. His one and only motivation is to appear to be a badass.

            His masters, however…