Commerce secretary Howard Lutnick last Sunday told CBS News that “great American workers” would build and operate new factories in the US and an “army of millions and millions of human beings screwing in little screws to make iPhones, that kind of thing, is going to come to America”. Commenting on the exemptions announcement, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt insisted that the likes of Apple and Nvidia were still “hustling to onshore their manufacturing in the United States” as soon as possible. Adding to the pressure on Trump, Wall Street billionaires – including a number of his own supporters – have openly criticised the whole tariff strategy as damaging and counter-productive, while key ally Elon Musk has reposted pro-free trade comments on X, formerly Twitter, and attacked Trump’s senior trade adviser Peter Navarro as “truly a moron”.
Published at: 2025-04-12 20:05:57
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