US President Donald Trump Issues Sharp Rebuttal to Information About "exceptions" to the Tariff Standoff with China

On April 8, US President Donald Trump issued a sharp rebuttal to information about "exceptions" to the tariff standoff with China.

Last Sunday, U.S. President Donald Trump issued a sharp rebuttal to information about "exceptions" to the tariff standoff with China. The White House chief unleashed a tirade on Truth Social, where he interpreted the U.S. Customs Service's decision in his own way.

"There was no Tariff 'exception' announced on Friday," wrote Trump. "These products are subject to the existing 20% Fentanyl Tariffs, and they are just moving to a different Tariff 'bucket.'"

Just the day before, U.S. Customs had issued updated guidance that excluded about 20 products, including smartphones, computers, routers, and semiconductor chips, from the "retaliatory" tariffs for a number of countries, including China. Everything looked good on paper—but as always, no plan survives first contact with reality.

Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick was quick to say that the tariff exemption for smartphones and other electronics would only be temporary. "This is not like a permanent sort of exemption. [Trump's] just clarifying that these are not available to be negotiated away by countries. These are things that are national security that need to be made in America," he explained on ABC's "This Week" program.

Meanwhile, the tariff war is gaining momentum. Trump hiked duties on Chinese goods to 125% on top of the existing 20% levies while imposing a 90-day pause on increased tariffs on other countries. Beijing, naturally, did not stay in debt and responded with mirror measures.

Experts are already sounding the alarm, predicting a large-scale trade war between the world's two largest economies. But can anything stop a president determined to "make America great again"?

"We are taking a closer look at semiconductors and the WHOLE ELECTRONICS supply chain in the upcoming national security tariff investigations," Trump said, making no secret of his ambitious plans.

In his emotional post, the president did not miss the opportunity to take a swipe at the media, accusing them of misrepresenting his stance on China: "The fake news knows it, but refuses to report it!"

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed that Trump remains committed to pushing for more of the excluded products and components to be manufactured on U.S.A soil.

"President Trump has made it clear that America cannot rely on China to produce critical technologies," she emphasized, adding that tech companies are "rushing to move production to the United States as soon as possible" at the president's direction.

Clearly, the Trump administration is determined to reshape trade relations with the Middle Kingdom and bring manufacturing back to American soil. Apparently, the "golden age of America" dreamed by the president implies a tough tariff war with competitors.

Markets Depend on Every Word from Trump

President Trump softened his tough tariff policy on April 9, announcing a 90-day pause for reciprocal tariffs and lowering rates to 10% for countries that have not imposed retaliatory duties on U.S. goods.

On the same day, Bitcoin rose 9%, and the S&P 500 index jumped more than 10%.

Macroeconomic trader Raoul Pal believes that tariff policy is a negotiating tool for a U.S.-China trade agreement and characterized the U.S. administration's trade rhetoric as "posturing."

In the end, almost all the other tariff negotiations and rhetoric are all about getting China to agree a deal. That is the big prize and both China and the U.S. understand it and need it. Everything else is negotiation posturing. China needs a weaker $ and the U.S. needs tariffs.

But Bitcoin supporter Max Keiser stated that exempting some tech products from import duties will not lower bond yields or help the Trump administration's goal of lowering interest rates.

The yield on 10-year U.S. Treasuries rose to a local high of about 4.5% on April 11 as investors reacted to macroeconomic uncertainty surrounding a protracted trade war and the prospect of a bond sale by China.

U.S. 10-year Treasury bond yields rise amid Trump's trade war

"The concession just made to China on technology exports will not change the trend of higher tariff rates. Confidence in U.S. bonds and the U.S. dollar has been eroding for years and will not stop now," Kaiser wrote on April 12.

Economists are now closely watching how the new U.S. tariff policy will affect global markets in the long term. The technology sector has received a temporary respite, but fundamental problems in global trade remain unresolved.

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Get Started on Krakenoutput: Last Sunday, U.S. President Donald Trump issued a sharp rebuttal to reports about "exceptions" to the tariff standoff with China, interpreting the U.S. Customs Service's decision in his own way.

The White House chief unleashed a