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Trump says tariffs on semiconductors will start 'very soon'

Published: 04 Apr. 2025, 10:26 Updated: 04 Apr. 2025, 20:19

U.S. President Donald Trump holds ″The Trump Card″ as he speaks with journalists onboard Air Force One en route to Miami, Florida, U.S., April 3. [REUTERS/YONHAP]

U.S. President Donald Trump said Thursday that tariffs on semiconductor imports will begin "very soon" in what would be an escalation of his trade fight expected to affect South Korea's chipmaking industry.

Trump made the remarks during a press availability, a day after he announced a minimum 10 percent across-the-board "baseline" tariff on all imports and higher "reciprocal" tariffs, including 25 percent duties for South Korea.

"The chips are starting very soon," he said, according to a White House pool report.

He added that tariffs on pharmaceuticals will start coming in "at a level that we haven't really seen before."

"We are looking at pharma right now. Pharmaceuticals. It's a separate category," he said. "We'll be announcing that sometime in the near future. It's under review right now."

Trump has been doubling down on his tariff drive to pare down America's trade deficits, draw foreign investments and bolster domestic manufacturing, as he has accused U.S. trading partners of having "ripped off" the United States for long.

Yonhap