Lutnick: Smartphone Tariff Exemptions Are Temporary

U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick told ABC's This Week host Jonathan Karl that smartphones, computers, chips, and other consumer electronics may soon be subject to separate tariffs in a month or so, suggesting that the exemptions announced Friday evening are only temporary.

"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 re-shored."

"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. We can't be reliant on Southeast Asia for all of the things that operate for us," Lutnick told Karl.

When Karl asked to clarify whether tariffs on Apple iPhones and other smartphone devices might "come back on in a month or so," Lutnick replied, "Correct. That's right: We need our medicines, semiconductors, and electronics to be built in America."

Lutnick's comments came after Customs and Border Protection posted updated guidance late Friday night on product exclusions from President Trump's reciprocal tariffs, imposed under Executive Order 14257 and its amendments (EO 14259).

The exclusions cover a wide range of electronic devices, including smartphones, laptops, and related components.

Lutnick also said that Trump would implement "a tariff model to encourage" the semiconductor and pharmaceutical industries to re-shore supply chains back to the Heartland.

"We can't be beholden and rely upon foreign countries for fundamental things that we need," Lutnick said, adding, "So this is not like a permanent sort of exemption. He's just clarifying that these are not available to be negotiated away by countries. These are things that are national security that we need to be made in America."

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