Donald Trump may have just saved Apple from becoming collateral damage in China trade war

While Trump initially planned sweeping global tariffs, he later paused them for 90 days.

PUBLISHED APR 12, 2025

Apple has been shifting production to India and Vietnam to reduce reliance on Chinese supply chains.

Washington D.C.: Donald Trump may have just saved Apple. The Trump administration has excluded smartphones, computers, and other electronics from steep reciprocal tariffs, including the 145% levy on Chinese imports. The exemption, announced late Friday by US Customs and Border Protection, aims to prevent price surges on gadgets largely manufactured in China.

Affected products include semiconductors, solar cells, and memory cards. Apple, half of whose iPhones sold in the US are made in China, has been shifting production to India and Vietnam to reduce reliance on Chinese supply chains.

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“This is the dream scenario for tech investors,” Dan Ives, global head of technology research at Wedbush Securities, told CNBC. “Smartphones, chips being excluded is a game changer scenario when it comes to China tariffs.”

While Trump initially planned sweeping global tariffs, he later paused them for 90 days — except for China, which faces a 145% tariff due to its retaliatory 84% levy on US goods.