Trump Denies Apple’s Request To Be Exempted From Tariffs On Chinese-Made Goods

President Donald Trump said Friday on Twitter that Apple will “not be given Tariff wavers” for product parts made in China.

“Apple will not be given Tariff wavers, or relief, for Mac Pro parts that are made in China. Make them in the USA, no Tariffs!” the president wrote.

The tweet comes after Apple asked to have 15 of its components — including power supply units, stainless-steel structural enclosures, circuit boards and completed mice and trackpads — exempted from 25% import tariffs Tuesday, CNBC reported, citing recent U.S. Trade Representative comment filings.

“There are no other sources for this proprietary, Apple-designed component,” the filings read. Apple said U.S. and other foreign sources do not create comparable products.

The tech giant is one of over 50 companies trying to move production out of China to avoid a prolonged trade conflict between the country and the United States. 15% to 30% of its iPhone production out of the country and will begin trial production of its AirPods to Vietnam, Nikkei Asian Review reported on July 18.

Apple CEO Tim Cook said he personally urged the president to reconsider his trade decisions with China during a one-on-one White House meeting.

“It’s true, undoubtedly true, that not everyone has been advantaged from that – in either country – and we’ve got to work on that,” Cook said in an interview “The David Rubenstein Show: Peer-to-Peer Conversations.”

“But I felt that tariffs were not the right approach there, and I showed him some more analytical kinds of things to demonstrate why,” he continued.

Apple brought in a revenue of $58 billion in the second quarter of 2019, a decline of 5% from the same time a year ago.