US to launch ‘separate tariffs’ on smartphones, computers, semiconductors imports, says Commerce Secretary

The United States is set to launch ‘separate tariffs’ for smartphones, computers, semiconductors, and other electronic component imports into the Western nation, likely in the upcoming one-two month period, reported the news portal ABC News on Sunday, April 13, citing the U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick. 

Lutnick also highlighted the need to build semiconductors, chips, and flat-panel televisions in the United States compared to relying on imports from South Asian nations.

“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. We can't be reliant on Southeast Asia for all of the things that operate for us,” Lutnick told the news portal.

Last week, the Donald Trump administration exempted smartphone and laptop imports from the nation's steep tariff on China, providing a break to importers like Apple. 

However, the Commerce Secretary on Sunday highlighted that smartphone and computer imports are removed from the reciprocal tariff list but will now be added to the semiconductor tariffs within the next two months.

“So what (US President Donald Trump's) doing is he's saying they're exempt from the reciprocal tariffs, but they're included in the semiconductor tariffs, which are coming in probably a month or two. So these are coming soon,” he told the news portal.

Tariff on smartphone imports

US President Donald Trump exempted smartphones, computers, and other electronics from its high reciprocal tariffs in a move to potentially cushion customers from paying high prices while benefiting big US firms like Apple on Friday, April 11. 

The US Customs and Border Protection office published the exemptions of smartphones, laptops, hard drives, computer processors, memory chips, and other products from the reciprocal tariffs announced on other world nations.

Donald Trump announced the US reciprocal tariffs on April 2, 2025, a day he termed ‘Liberation Day’ for the United States.

“We can't be beholden and rely upon foreign countries for fundamental things that we need,” said the Commerce Secretary, as per the news report. He also clarified that the import tariffs on these products are not up for negotiations with other countries.

“These are things that are national security that we need to be made in America,” he said, as per the news report on Sunday.