Trump tweets Apple will not receive tariff waivers for parts made in China

Posted By: Staff
July 26, 2019 @ 12:49 pm
ABC Business

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prachanart/iStock(WASHINGTON) — President Donald Trump tweeted on Friday that his administration will not grant Apple any tariff waivers for parts for its new Mac Pro that are made in China.

“Make them in the USA, no Tariffs!” the President tweeted on Friday.

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

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 26, 2019

Trump appeared to be responding to tariff exemption requests the Cupertino-based company filed with the Office of U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) on July 18. Apple’s requests were first reported by Bloomberg.

U.S. and Chinese officials are due to meet next week in a possible bid to revive trade talks and end a year-long dispute that has rattled global markets and disrupted supply chains.

Although the filings do not explicitly say that the parts are meant for the recently unveiled mega-computer, the $5,999 Mac Pro, Apple’s 15 tariff exemption applications appear to include parts and accessories for the marquis desktop, which the company plans to build in China, according to Bloomberg.

Apple has long come under scrutiny from the president, who has pushed for products to be manufactured in the U.S. and continues to pursue his trade war with China.

The Mac Pro was the last major Apple product to be made in the U.S., but in June, The Wall Street Journal reported that the company was shifting production of the expensive Mac Pro from Texas to China.

Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Trump has often contradicted the positions of his trade envoys and it is unclear if the U.S. Trade Representative’s office has taken on Apple’s requests. The office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.