Trump to impose tariffs on foreign semiconductors not moving production to US

President Donald Trump said on Thursday his administration will soon impose substantial tariffs on semiconductor imports from companies that do not move production to the United States, warning that firms investing in domestic factories would be spared. Trump made the announcement ahead of a White House dinner with senior technology executives, saying the duties would arrive "very shortly" and describing them as "fairly substantial, not that high," while adding that companies that commit to U.S. facilities would be exempt.

Trump singled out Apple in his remarks, saying Apple CEO Tim Cook was "in pretty good shape" as the company has pledged to increase U.S. investment to about $600 billion over the next four years. The president has repeatedly used tariffs as leverage to push multinational corporations and foreign governments to expand manufacturing in the United States, and he said the semiconductor measures fit that strategy.

The threat follows earlier comments by the president that he was considering tariffs near 100 percent on imported chips, while carving out exemptions for firms already building or planning U.S. factories. Several major Asian chipmakers have announced U.S....