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U.S. NEWS Friday 8 august 2025

Trump’s planned 100% computer chip tariff sparks confusion

among businesses and trading partners

By MATT O’BRIEN and MAE have little exposure to the
ANDERSON artificial intelligence boom
AP Business Writers but still make semiconduc-
President Donald Trump’s tors inserted into essential
plans for 100% tariffs on products like cars or wash-
computer chips that aren’t ing machines.
made in the U.S. are stok- German chipmaker Infi-
ing confusion among busi- neon Technologies, which
nesses and trading partners supplies chips to the auto
boosting stocks for leading industry, said in an emailed
semiconductor companies statement Thursday that
while leaving smaller pro- it “can’t speculate about
ducers scrambling to un- potential semiconductor
derstand the implications. tariffs” and Trump’s an-
“We are still waiting for of- nouncement, “as no offi-
ficial guidance,” said Limor cial documents have been
Fried, founder and engi- published at this point.”
neer at Adafruit Industries, These producers “probably
a small electronics maker aren’t large enough to get
in New York. on the map for an exemp-
The chips that go into tion and quite probably
Adafruit’s products come wouldn’t have the kind of
through U.S. sales and dis- excess capital and mar-
tribution companies as well gins to be able to add in-
Laptop computers are displayed at a retail store in Vernon Hills, Ill., Thursday, Aug. 7, 2025.
as direct from companies Associated Press vestment at a large scale
in the Philippines and Tai- into the United States,”
wan. cause most of the foreign- Institute for International “But if you’re building in the Chorzempa said.
If those chips aren’t ex- made chips in a device Economics. United States of America, It’s also not clear how the
empt, “it would increase from an iPhone to a car Trump said Wednesday there’s no charge.” chip-specific tariffs would
the costs that go into our were already assembled that companies that Wall Street investors inter- apply to trading partners
designs as the semicon- into a product, or part of a “made a commitment to preted that as good news that already made broad-
ductors are the most ex- product, before it landed in build” in the U.S. would be not just for U.S. companies er deals with Trump such
pensive component in our the country. spared the import tax, even like Intel and Nvidia, but as agreements with the
assemblies,” Fried said. “For “The real question every- if they are not yet produc- also for the biggest Asian European Union, Japan
many of these tariffs, we body in the industry is ask- ing those chips in American chipmakers like Samsung and South Korea that tax
often have to wait until we ing is whether there will be factories. and Taiwan Semiconduc- most goods at 15%. The an-
get a bill to know our expo- a component tariff, where “We’ll be putting a tariff tor Manufacturing Compa- nouncement came more
sure, and then we adjust the chips in a device would of approximately 100% on ny that have been working than three months after
our pricing to account for require some sort of sepa- chips and semiconduc- to build U.S. factories. Trump temporarily exempt-
the increases.” rate tariff calculation,” said tors,” Trump said in the But it left greater uncer- ed most electronics from
The U.S. imports a relatively Martin Chorzempa, a se- Oval Office while meeting tainty for smaller chipmak- his administration’s most
small number of chips be- nior fellow at the Peterson with Apple CEO Tim Cook. ers in Europe and Asia that onerous tariffs.q

Dean Cain, former TV Superman, will be sworn in as honorary ICE

officer

By The Associated Press diately clear what his du- and endorsed Trump in vid Corenswet, became as “woke” after director
Dean Cain, the actor best ties as an honorary officer three elections. A repre- a hot-button topic with James Gunn referred to
known for portraying Su- would entail. Cain, 59, told sentative for Cain did not right-wing commentators the character as being like
perman on a 1990s televi- Fox News he was already a respond to request for who criticized the movie an “immigrant.”q
sion show, wants to join the sworn deputy sheriff and a comment Thursday.
U.S. Immigration and Cus- reserve police officer. McLaughlin referenced
toms Enforcement agen- Earlier this week, Cain post- Cain’s titular role in “Lois &
cy. In an interview with Fox ed a video to his social me- Clark: The New Adventures
News this week, Cain said dia accounts encouraging of Superman,” which ran
he’d already spoken to others to join the agency. from 1993 to 1997, in her
the agency responsible for The Department of Home- statement, saying in her
carrying out President Don- land Security said Wednes- statement that “Superman
ald Trump’s mass deporta- day that it is removing age is encouraging Americans
tions agenda. limits for new hires at the to become real-life super-
Assistant Secretary Tricia agency responsible for im- heroes.”
McLaughlin, the Depart- migration enforcement, Warner Bros., which re-
ment of Homeland Secu- as it aims to expand hiring leased a new “Superman”
rity’s spokesperson, said after a massive infusion of last month, didn’t imme-
Thursday that Cain would cash from Congress. diately respond to a re-
be sworn in as an “honor- Cain has in the past de- quest for comment. The Dean Cain speaks during a ceremony honoring Mehmet Oz
ary ICE Officer” in the com- cade been outspoken in film, which has made over with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in Los Angeles on
ing month. It wasn’t imme- his conservative viewpoints $550 million and stars Da- Feb. 11, 2022.
Associated Press