President Donald Trump said the United States will impose a tariff of about 100 on imports of semiconductors but offered up a big exemption - it will not apply to companies that are manufacturing in the US or have committed to do so.
The move is part of Trumps efforts to bring manufacturing back to the United States, and his remarks on Wednesday were made in tandem with an announcement that Apple would be investing an additional 100 billion in its home market.
For companies like Apple, which have committed to build in the United States, there will be no charge, he told reporters in the Oval Office.
He warned, however, that companies should not try to wrangle out of pledges to build US factories.
If, for some reason, you say youre building and you dont build, then we go back and we add it up, it accumulates, and we charge you at a later date, you have to pay, and thats a guarantee, Trump added.
