President Donald Trump told reporters Monday afternoon that he was “looking for” tariff exemptions specific to potential parts of the automaker, emphasizing Trump’s stance that being “flexibility” is important in current trade negotiations.
Trump’s signal about the carmaker’s potential reprieve comes after the administration moved to exempt electronic devices such as smartphones, iPhones and laptops from the president’s mutual tariffs on Friday. Trump’s decision to offer a specific exemption is divided in line with his stance that being “flexibility” is important in ongoing trade negotiations, but Democrats have criticised the recent exemption to add even more uncertainty to the situation.
“I’m looking for something to help some of the automotive companies that are switching to parts made in Canada, Mexico and elsewhere,” the president told reporters in the Oval Office during a meeting with Electro-shaped President Naive Buquere on Monday afternoon. “They’re going to make them here, but they need a little time, so I’m talking about that.”
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President Donald Trump shook the hand of El Salvador President Naive Buquere at a meeting at the White House Oval Office in Washington on Monday, April 14, 2025. (Pool via AP)
While speaking to reporters, Trump reiterated the comments he made last week about the need to be flexible in tariff negotiations with various countries.
“Look, I’m a very flexible person. I don’t change my mind, but I’m flexible and you have to be. You can’t just have a wall, you have to turn over more from time to time,” Trump told reporters. “Maybe things will come… I don’t want to hurt anyone, but the end result is that we will reach the status of greatness of our nation.”
A notification released by the US Customs and Border Patrol on Friday shows that smartphones, computers and other electronic devices will be spared Trump’s 145% import duties on Chinese products. However, electronic devices are subject to semiconductor tariffs and duties related to fentanyl, according to the administration and the president.
Trump signaled last week after suspending mutual tariff increases in 75 countries, after showing goodwilling efforts to negotiate a new trade deal that he is open to offering exemptions to certain US companies affected by tariffs.
The president’s signal that more bailouts could be on the way after the automaker has already provided it to the industry One month grace It took place on March 4th after speaking to three of the nation’s largest car dealers and executives, from the 25% tariffs imposed on all goods imported from Canada and Mexico.
Trump signaled Monday that he was “looking for” a potential target tariff relief for the automotive industry. Trump has characterized his willingness to provide tariff relief as a sign of flexibility in tariff relief, but Democrats have described the move to chaotic and corrupt relief to certain industries. (Getty Images/Fox News)
Trump has characterized his willingness to provide tariff relief as a sign of flexibility in tariff relief, but Democrats have described the move to chaotic and corrupt relief to certain industries.
“I spoke to Fareed Zakaria this morning. When I started exemptions here and when I got exemptions on tariffs, it’s introducing all sorts of corruption into the system,” said Lawrence Summers, a former economic adviser to the Clinton and Obama administration. “We showcase what economists are looking for rent, where people are very advantageous for them to become friends with their first family, and people are very advantageous for them to hire lobbyists. So the big boom created by tariffs is lying in Crony Capitalism.”
Trump says anyone who “goes off the hook” because of “unfair” trade balances swears.
“Look, there’s no tariff policy. It’s all chaos and corruption,” Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) added in an interview with ABC News over the weekend. “These people are obsessed with confusion and corruption. This is why Congress can say, “There’s no national emergency here,” under the authority that the President is currently using by declaring these national emergency. If we had to negotiate, we had to stop this insanity. ”
Senators Elizabeth Warren and Michael Bennett are seeking tech companies to answer following President Trump’s contribution to the first fund. (Win McNamee/Oleg Nikishin/Getty Images)
Meanwhile, in a true social post on weekends following criticism like people like Warren and Summers, the president tried to defend the move to provide some relief to the electronics industry.
“No one has “goes off the hook” due to unfair trade balances and the non-financial tariff barriers that other countries were using against us. Trump said.
“There were no tariffs “exceptions” announced on Friday,” Trump declared in the post, saying electronics would still be subject to 20% tariffs related to fentanyl. “They are just moving to another tariff “bucket.” The fake news knows this but refuses to report it.
Fox News Digital contacted the White House for comments and asked for details on the automaker’s potential temporary tariff relief, but did not receive a response in time for publication.
