President Donald Trump’s erratic and contradictory announcements on whether he will impose tariffs on iPhones and other electronics is grounded in his hatred of two words that start with the letter “e.”
The president thinks the words “exceptions” and “exemptions” connote weakness, whereas Trump stands for strength, Axios reported.
Trump’s announcement of crushing 145 percent tariffs—a tax paid by American companies, with the costs typically passed on to consumers—on all products from China, sent markets plummeting on Thursday.
The next day, Customs and Border Protection issued a bulletin saying cellphones and computers would be exempt. It used the word “exception” three times. On Saturday, though, Trump refused to give a direct answer to a reporter asking about the exception.
Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick then told ABC’s This Week on Sunday that technology items would be exempt from the 145 percent reciprocal tariffs on Chinese products but not from sector-specific tariffs on semiconductors.
Trump also wrote on his social media platform Truth Social that no exceptions had been announced Friday, despite the CBP bulletin.
It turns out that over the weekend, Trump had gotten annoyed by new reports about the “exceptions,” according to Axios.
“Trump didn’t like the coverage about exceptions and exemptions. He didn’t want to look like he was giving in to Apple,” a White House official told the outlet.
The president has hated the concept ever since his first term, when he thought his U.S. trade representatives negotiated weak deals with too many carve-outs.
But as the duties threaten to crater key industries, Trump is trying to reframe the “e” words in a way that still makes him look tough. He has said he’s “looking at something to help some of the car companies” and has told reporters in the Oval Office he’s “flexible.”
“I don’t change my mind, but I’m flexible,” he said.
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