U.S. President Donald Trump took to Truth Social on Sunday to clarify that no tariff “exception” was granted on Friday for Chinese or other foreign-made electronics, pushing back against what he called “Fake News” reports. His post directly contradicted earlier interpretations that products like smartphones, laptops, and chips were temporarily spared from the 125% reciprocal tariffs.

“There was no Tariff ‘exception’ announced on Friday,” Trump wrote. “These products are subject to the existing 20% fentanyl tariffs — they are just moving to a different Tariff ‘bucket.’”

The statement followed a bulletin from U.S. Customs and Border Protection late Friday that listed several electronic goods — including smartphones, flat-panel displays, memory chips, and laptops — as temporarily exempt from both Trump’s 125% China-specific tariffs and the 10% global baseline tariffs. This created widespread confusion about whether consumer electronics had been spared.

Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick tried to clarify the administration’s position earlier on Sunday, stating that the listed products were “not permanently exempt,” but would instead be included in an upcoming round of semiconductor-specific tariffs, which are expected within “a month or two.” Lutnick added that the new category would aim to bring back production of semiconductors, chips, flat panels, and related devices to the U.S.

Trump’s post suggested an even more aggressive tone, indicating that the entire electronics supply chain will be under scrutiny in the upcoming “National Security Tariff Investigations.” “We need to make products in the United States,” Trump wrote, adding that the U.S. will not remain “hostage” to “hostile trading nations like China.”

The mixed signals from Washington have sparked confusion in global markets and among electronics companies, many of which are still trying to determine how and when new tariffs might hit key imports.

As the situation unfolds, analysts are closely watching for concrete announcements regarding the scope and structure of these semiconductor-focused tariffs, which could reshape global tech manufacturing in the months to come.