Free Republic

In addition to Howard Lutnick, Peter Navarro and Kevin Hassett explaining the nuances of Section 232 tariff exemptions, White House Senior Policy Advisor, Stephen Miller, appears on Fox News to deliver the same message.Steel, Aluminum, Automobiles, Pharmaceuticals and components for semiconductor manufacturing all fall under the Section 232 “National Security” tariff umbrella. Meaning, the products within each of those sectors of manufacturing are handled ¹differently from all other tariffs as executed. WATCH:[¹NOTE: This approach could present a problem in future lawsuits, because the administration is now beginning to define what is classified as a ‘national security’ product. Lawfare operatives will...

Taiwan's first phase of tariff talks with the United States went "smoothly" and the government hopes to take this challenge as an opportunity to promote a new Taiwan-plus-the-United States layout for trade, President Lai Ching-te said Monday.Major semiconductor producer Taiwan had been due to be hit with a 32% tariff by U.S. President Donald Trump, until he put all tariffs ex-China on hold for talks to take place.Taiwan and the United States on Friday held their first direct talks about the tariffs.Speaking to representatives from university alumni associations at the presidential office in Taipei, Lai said Taiwan has overcome challenges...

China is no longer welcome in Britain's steel sector after the government had to pass emergency legislation on Saturday to ensure control of Chinese-owned British Steel, business minister Jonathan Reynolds said on Sunday.Reynolds said the refusal of China's Jingye Group to accept a roughly 500 million pound ($654 million) government aid package last week to stop irrevocable damage to blast furnaces left the government with no alternative to intervening directly.British Steel was not immediately available for comment outside office hours.Against a backdrop of global overcapacity in much of the steel industry and challenges from U.S. tariffs, Jingye wanted to import...

China's trade war bluff may backfire as the U.S. pushes allies to choose between a rogue economic actor and a flawed but fairer partner with unmatched global power. No one wants a “trade war” with China, or for that matter with any nation. Nonetheless, China has been waging one for years and is now locked in a tariff recalibration with the Trump administration. In this American effort to find trade parity and equity, China can do some short-term damage to the U.S., especially in terms of ceasing exports of some pharmaceuticals, phones, and computers. But ultimately, it cannot win—and will...

President Trump is taking exception to the idea that his Administration is offering exceptions to his punishing tariffs. That’s the story after a confusing weekend that offers more lessons in the arbitrary nature of Trump trade policy. Late Friday his own Customs and Border Protection (CBP) department issued a notice listing products that will be exempt from Mr. Trump’s so-called reciprocal tariffs that can run as high as 145% on goods from China. The exclusions apply to smartphones, laptop computers, hard drives, computer processors, servers, memory chips, semiconductor manufacturing equipment, and other electronics. The CBP notice takes the tariff rate...

President Donald Trump on Sunday insisted there will be no exemptions in the tariffs after there was some confusion when it came to electronics. '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!' the president posted on Truth Social. A notice released late on Friday suggested gadgets would avoid Trump's 125 percent import tax on Chinese goods and even his sweeping 10 percent global tariffs. But his administration clarified on Sunday that electronics would be subject...

As China reacts to the latest round of Trump’s tariffs on Friday, announcing a 125% tariff on all American goods, vice president of the Beijing-based Center for China and Globalization, Victor Zhikai Gao, commented: “We don’t care! China has been here for 5,000 years. Most of the time, there was no U.S., and we survived.” When pointed out that China “will lose the U.S. market,” which accounts for 15% of all trade, he added: “If the United States wants to bully China, we will deal with a situation without the United States, and we expect to survive for another 5,000...

Republican lawmakers say there’s a good chance that President Trump’s trade war will boomerang on Republicans politically in 2026, as rising prices and shrinking growth could offset other accomplishments by the GOP. Republican senators are pointing to the 1932 and 1982 elections as historical examples of when trade wars and resulting price inflation hurt their party at the ballot box, and they are worried that history could repeat itself. Many Republican lawmakers view tariffs as a tax hike on American consumers, and some note that the last two times Congress enacted tax hikes on the scale of Trump’s recent tariffs,...

Right now, with the tariff war going on, many people in China are losing their jobs. Even business owners aren’t spared. China couldf ace a wave of bankruptcies and US 9:50 exports to China might also completely 9:52 stop the Chinese Communist Party has 9:54 proposed six so-called countermeasures 9:56 but in reality all of them would end up 9:59 hurting China itself the CCPbacked 10:02 WeChat account Neilotin posted on April 10:04 8th that China is ready to hit back at 10:07 the US with at least six counter 10:08 measures first China may sharply raise 10:11 tariffs on...

China has halted exports of seven critical rare earth elements to the United States, a move that threatens to disrupt supply chains across key American industries, including automotive, semiconductor, and aerospace sectors. China’s Ministry of Commerce recently added seven rare earth elements—including dysprosium, terbium, and lutetium—to its restricted export list. These elements are essential for manufacturing high-performance magnets used in electric vehicles, advanced weaponry, and consumer electronics. NY Times reported:

Tariffs are advertised in the name of helping American workers, but what do you know? They turn out to favor the powerful and politically connected. That’s the main message of President Trump’s decision to exempt smartphones and assorted electronic goods from his most onerous tariffs. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) late Friday issued a notice listing products that will be exempt from Mr. Trump’s so-called reciprocal tariffs that can run as high as 145% on goods from China. The exclusions apply to smartphones, laptop computers, hard drives, computer processors, servers, memory chips, semiconductor manufacturing equipment, and other electronics. The CBP...

“Tariffs are advertised in the name of helping American workers, but what do you know? They turn out to favor the powerful and politically connected. That’s the main message of President Trump’s decision to exempt smartphones and assorted electronic goods from his most onerous tariffs. “All of this exposes the arbitrary political nature of tariffs. Some industries benefit but others don’t. Too bad if you make shoes, or clothing, or thousands of other consumer products that must pay the tariffs but lack the political or market clout to win exemptions. Too bad, too, if you’re a small manufacturer that relies...

The technology sector, or at least a key part of it, breathed easier on Saturday after President Trump said that various industries, including semiconductors, computer hardware, and smartphones, would be exempt from the steep reciprocal tariffs put in place this month. The reprieve, however, may only be temporary, according to Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick. Lutnick, a key proponent of tariffs to re-spark U.S. manufacturing, provided more insight into technology sector import taxes on Sunday. His message renews uncertainty for major U.S. technology companies, including Apple, Dell, and Nvidia, which depend heavily on overseas production to keep costs low. After OpenAI's...

Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) said Sunday on NBC’s “Meet the Press” that there was “enough of an offense” to trigger congressional hearings questioning whether anyone traded improperly after President Donald Trump’s tariff announcements. Host Kristen Welker said, “Some of your Democratic colleagues are actually calling for an investigation into whether or not there was insider trading. The president saying it’s a good time to buy and then, of course, hitting the pause button on some of those tariffs. Do you believe that democrats have any real evidence that anyone in the administration profited off of the president’s policies and announcements,...

National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett said Sunday on CNN’s “State of the Union” that the Trump administration was negotiating trade policy with 130 countries. Host Jake Tapper said, “What do you say to small business owners or even big business owners who say they’re having difficulty making long-term business decisions because the country seems right now to be run by capricious whim?” Hassett said, “Oh, I don’t think at all that it’s run by a capricious whim. The way that I would think about it is that in the previous administration, you could sort of say, if you’re thinking...

Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy admitted he would “absolutely” vote for the Democrats in the 2026 midterm elections if President Trump continues to rattle the economy with his sweeping tariff war. The 48-year-old, who voted for Trump in the last election, told CNN Wednesday that he would still give the commander-in-chief a chance to prove his sweeping levies — but wouldn’t rule out jumping ship if the stock market continues to flounder. Asked if he’d be willing to ditch the GOP if the market doesn’t improve, Portnoy responded: “Yeah, absolutely.” “I was never some crazy MAGA guy,” the Barstool honcho...

When his camera stopped working on his iPhone recently, New Yorker Richard Medina didn't waste any time. With the threat of tariff-fuelled price hikes on smartphones bearing down, he quickly called his phone company for a new one. "I said, 'We've got to switch this out now,'" the 43-year-old recalled. "Let's take care of it." The move was a sign of the pressure rising across the US, where households are being buffeted by what could be staggering price rises, and even possible shortages triggered by the sweeping tariffs that US President Donald Trump announced this month. Some are trying to...

Key Takeaways:Scenario 1: Hardball Negotiation (50% Probability): The tariffs are exactly what they appear to be – a negotiating tactic. Trump is trying to strong-arm America’s trading partners into better deals. What happens to stocks here? We’d expect more near-term volatility; possibly more selling over the next few days or weeks. Once deals are signed, a sharp, V-shaped recovery – and a full rebound into summer – is quite possible.Scenario 2: Tariffs As True Protectionism (30% Probability): Trump’s tariff policy is not just strategy. It’s ideology. He genuinely believes in them as a tool to reshape America’s economy, wherein tariffs...

After China reduced the number of American films that can be shown there as part of its retaliation to U.S. tariffs this week, President Donald Trump laughed it off. “I’ve heard of worse things,” he said. But his flippancy over China’s targeting of U.S. cultural exports — which are not only a source of income for Hollywood but also a projection of U.S. soft power — illustrates the myopia of Trump’s trade war.This week, as investors raced away from the dollar (it’s down about 8 percent since Inauguration Day) and dumped U.S. Treasury bonds (10-year yields climbed above 4.5 percent),...

Two widely followed Chinese public figures — one an editor for a state media outlet, the other the son of a former party chief — released identical outlines on Tuesday of countermeasures Chinese authorities are said to be considering in response to Trump's tariffs.The U.S. film industry so far has escaped direct retaliation from countries hit by President Donald Trump‘s globe-spanning tariffs, thanks to theatrical film releases and streaming platforms being categorized as services rather than physical goods. But Hollywood’s luck in China, the world’s second-largest film market, could soon run out, according to statements issued Tuesday by two influential...