‘NOBODY is getting off the hook’

Supposed “exceptions” didn’t fully capture the scope of the president’s tariff plan as he made clear, “NOBODY is getting ‘off the hook.’”

Following an announcement from U.S. Customs and Border Protection, word spread Friday night that certain items were getting a pass where tariffs were concerned. Where wires had been crossed on smartphones, semiconductors, and the like, President Donald Trump set the record straight with his latest slight against “Fake News.”

“NOBODY is getting ‘off the hook’ for the unfair Trade Balances, and Non Monetary Tariff Barriers, that other Countries have used against us, especially not China, which, by far, treats us the worst!” Trump posted to Truth Social.

The clarification went on to explain, “There was no Tariff ‘exception’ announced on Friday. These products are subject to the existing 20% Fentanyl Tariffs, and they are just moving to a different Tariff ‘bucket.’ The Fake News knows this, but refuses to report it.”

Previewing future announcements for focused tariffs, the president went on, “We are taking a look at Semiconductors and the WHOLE ELECTRONICS SUPPLY CHAIN in the upcoming National Security Tariff Investigations. What has been exposed is that we need to make products in the United States, and that we will not be held hostage by other Countries, especially hostile trading Nations like China, which will do everything within its power to disrespect the American People.”

As had been previously reported, CBP’s announcement meant the electronics in question would not be subject to additional duties as the president had instituted a pause for all nations that had not retaliated at the same time he raised the tariff levied against China to 125%.

‘A strategic recalibration’: Trump exempts phones, computers, other electronics from China tariffs https://t.co/dWQa9bbF3l via @BIZPACReview

— BPR based (@DumpstrFireNews) April 12, 2025

“They have taken advantage for a long time, ripped us off,” Trump said of China from the White House. “How people stood for it, sitting in my position, is not even believable.”

“We also cannot let them continue to abuse us on Trade, like they have for decades, THOSE DAYS ARE OVER! The Golden Age of America, which includes the upcoming Tax and Regulation Cuts, a substantial amount of which was just approved by the House and Senate, will mean more and better paying Jobs, making products in our Nation, and treating other Countries, in particular China, the same way they have treated us,” added the president in his Truth Social post. “The bottom line is that our Country will be bigger, better, and stronger than ever before. We will, MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!”

Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick had some clarity of his own on ABC’s “This Week” Sunday, where he expressed, “They’re exempt from the reciprocal tariffs, but they’re included in the semiconductor tariffs, which are coming in probably a month or two.”

Likewise, White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller told Fox News’ Maria Bartiromo on “Sunday Morning Futures” that it had always been the plan for chips and semiconductors to fall under a different plan due to their national security importance, “And unfortunately, some in the media are deliberately mis-portraying that plan.”

Meanwhile, CBP’s announcement on electronics has been welcomed in the interim by companies like Apple, Nvidia, and Microsoft as some in Big Tech sought avenues to avoid the tariffs, including by bringing manufacturing to the United States.

Staff Writer

Native of Brooklyn, NY, Kevin Haggerty is a graduate of Hunter College where he studied Cultural Anthropology and Geography. An avid reader and truth seeker, he currently resides in Texas with his wife and their dog and, when he isn’t researching current events and their impacts, you’ll find him spending time with friends and family or working on his next novel.

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