Trump administration walks back tariff ‘exemption’ on electronics

Trump says he’s “flexible” on electronic tariffs, and that more developments are “coming up”

article-image

White House Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy and Homeland Security Advisor Stephen Miller | Consolidated News Photos/Shutterstock and Adobe modified by Blockworks

share

This is a segment from the Forward Guidance newsletter. To read full editions, subscribe.


If you logged off on Friday at the close and didn’t check futures prices or the news until this morning (unlikely, I know, but maybe you spent the weekend at the Masters), you have some catching up to do. 

To recap: The US Customs and Border Protection late Friday night issued guidance exempting certain consumer electronics (smartphones, computers, etc.) from both reciprocal tariffs on China and the 10% global tariff on all imports. Machines used to assemble semiconductors are also exempt, the guidance noted. 

On Saturday afternoon, though, White House senior adviser Stephen Miller said that these products, when imported from China, are still subject to a 20% levy. 

Trump doubled down (sort of) on Sunday, writing in a Truth Social post that “there was no tariff ‘exemption’ announced on Friday.” Semiconductor tariffs will be moved to a different “bucket,” he said, adding that he would clarify everything on Monday. 

When asked about it this morning, Trump told reporters this: “Look, I’m a very flexible person. I don’t change my mind, but I’m flexible, and you have to be.” 

He added that “there’ll be many things coming up” and he “[doesn’t] want to hurt anybody.” 

We try to cover news as close to schedules as possible, but this administration loves to keep everyone on their toes. With that in mind, as of time of writing, Trump didn’t provide any specifics on tariffs on electronics. 

We’ll be watching for updates, but buckle up in the meantime. It’s looking to be another unpredictable week.


Get the news in your inbox. Explore Blockworks newsletters:

Tags

Decoding crypto and the markets. Daily, with Byron Gilliam.

Upcoming Events

Old Billingsgate

Mon - Wed, October 13 - 15, 2025

Blockworks’ Digital Asset Summit (DAS) will feature conversations between the builders, allocators, and legislators who will shape the trajectory of the digital asset ecosystem in the US and abroad.

Industry City | Brooklyn, NY

TUES - THURS, JUNE 24 - 26, 2025

Permissionless IV serves as the definitive gathering for crypto’s technical founders, developers, and builders to come together and create the future.If you’re ready to shape the future of crypto, Permissionless IV is where it happens.

Brooklyn, NY

SUN - MON, JUN. 22 - 23, 2025

Blockworks and Cracked Labs are teaming up for the third installment of the Permissionless Hackathon, happening June 22–23, 2025 in Brooklyn, NY. This is a 36-hour IRL builder sprint where developers, designers, and creatives ship real projects solving real problems across […]

recent research

Research Report Templates (19).png

Research

Suilend has grown into the top money market and liquid staking provider on Sui. STEAMM, Suilend’s Superfluid AMM, presents a compelling avenue for growing market share within Sui’s DEX landscape and revenue generation for the protocol. Suilend’s multi-product suite position it well for owning market share across key verticals. While current metrics across the Sui ecosystem are likely inflated due to Sui Foundation incentive programs, SEND trades at amongst the lowest multiples in the lend/borrow sector, suggesting that a bull case for continued growth in the ecosystem may be mispriced.

article-image

Silk Road founder Ulbricht made a triumphant return to the Bitcoin Conference, 10 years on from sentencing

article-image

A Blockworks Research report looked at who could take up some of the marketshare in the launchpad space

article-image

Business-to-business stablecoin payments are on the rise, per a report from Artemis, Dragonfly and Castle Island

article-image

Crypto continues to do its thing: incentivizing behavior

article-image

Kraken will soon offer Backed ‘xStocks’ as Solana tokens

article-image

In a unanimous decision, the US Court of International Trade has ruled that Trump’s IEEPA tariffs are unlawful