US President Donald Trump said he would raise tariffs on Chinese goods to 125 percent
AFP

President Donald J. Trump has seemingly claimed that he helped Apple CEO Tim Cook regarding tariff exclusions, but did not explain exactly what kind of assistance he gave the executive.

The current state of the United States economy and its relationship with other countries are on thin ice thanks to the tariffs. Still, the recent pause on the tariffs has eased the tensions amidst the country's top businesses for now.

In addition, the temporary exclusions given to the tech industry, which left out smartphones, laptops, processors, and more, have eased worries.

President Trump Seemingly Claims He Helped Tim Cook

In President Trump's recent meeting with El Salvador President Nayib Bukele, he also answered the media's questions about the US tariffs. He seemingly claimed to have helped out Apple CEO Tim Cook.

In a video posted by Aaron Rupar on Bluesky, Trump explained the tariff exclusions for certain products or goods, first discussing the auto industry.

However, when asked about smartphones, citing Apple's products as well as other brands, the President's response is unclear, he admitted to helping Cook recently.

That being said, Trump said that in "that whole business—I'm not, I don't want to hurt anybody."

According to 9to5Mac, this statement may mean that Trump helped Cook navigate through the tariff exclusions for Apple, and this seemingly confirms that the administration has favored the company.

That being said, there is no confirmation if Apple is truly exempted from this entire ordeal, but Trump previously pointed out that he is "flexible" but not to the point that he will change his mind about the tariffs.

President Trump's Tariffs

The entire world was rocked when President Trump's tariffs started taking effect at the start of April as it first centered on base increases and then moved on to imposing massive rates by April 9.

It was also revealed in that last increase that the reciprocal tariffs against China rose to 125%. This significantly affects products being manufactured and assembled there, including a number from Apple.

However, the next announcement regarding the Trump tariffs is a temporary pause, but it excluded China from the list. That being said, it was also announced that there is an exclusion for smartphones, laptops, processors, and more for the time being, but this is also a temporary leeway that the Trump administration extended to the industry.

All in all, Trump's tariffs are inevitable as the companies and countries who are set to face it will soon do so. It was previously discussed by the White House that one of the top solutions to avoid the tariffs is for companies like Apple to bring manufacturing and other processes to the US, with Trump believing that it is possible.

Originally published on Tech Times