U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick warned that the technology sector could still face additional tariff challenges.
On Friday evening, the Trump administration announced that consumer electronics—including laptops and smartphones—would be excluded from tariffs introduced earlier this month.
Although several of these tariffs were postponed by Trump this week, a 10% baseline tariff remains, along with an extra 125% tariff on Chinese imports.
Recent reports indicated that these exemptions might not provide full relief for tech products, as future targeted tariffs, especially on semiconductors, could still impact the industry.
In an ABC “This Week” interview on Sunday morning, Lutnick clarified that while these items are exempt from reciprocal tariffs, they are not immune to the impending semiconductor-related tariffs expected within the next couple of months.
All those products are going to come under semiconductors, and they’re going to have a special focus type of tariff to make sure that those products get reshored. We need to have semiconductors, we need to have chips, and we need to have flat panels — we need to have these things made in America. —Lutnick
When questioned about the potential impact on consumer prices, he expressed confidence that American-made products would help prevent any significant price increases.
Meanwhile, Trump took to Truth Social to assert that no tariff “exception” was announced on Friday, indicating that electronics manufactured in China remain subject to a separate 20% tariff linked to fentanyl imports.
According to Trump, these products are merely being reclassified into a different tariff category, and he criticized the media for failing to report this detail while previewing upcoming national security tariff investigations into semiconductors and the broader electronics supply chain.
