The Trump administration’s exemption of smartphones and consumer electronics from reciprocal tariffs may not last long, according to new remarks from Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick.
Speaking Sunday on ABC’s This Week, Lutnick clarified that the tariff break on electronics—announced earlier this month—was only temporary, and a new set of duties focused on semiconductors is already in the works.
“All those products are going to come under semiconductors,” Lutnick said, “and they’re going to have a special focus type of tariff to make sure those products get reshored.”
Targeted Tariffs Coming for Tech and National Security Sectors
According to Lutnick, new tariffs will be introduced within “a month or two”, targeting chips, flat panel displays, and other components essential to U.S. tech infrastructure. The move follows a Friday bulletin from U.S. Customs and Border Protection that temporarily exempted several tech items from the broader reciprocal tariffs President Trump announced earlier this month.
“We need to have chips, and we need to have flat panels — we need to have these things made in America,” Lutnick added, citing national security concerns and the push to reduce reliance on Asian manufacturing.
Kosta Gushterov
Reporter at Coindoo
Kosta has been a part of the team since 2021 and has solidified his position with a thirst for knowledge, incredible dedication to his work and a “detective-like” mindset. He not only covers a wide range of trending topics, he also creates reviews, PR articles and educational content. His work has also been referenced by other news outlets.
