Tariff Charade Exposed by Trump's Owns Exemptions
There is no tariff emergency
The Wall Street Journal’s Editorial Board dropped a bombshell on April 13, 2025, exposing the hollow core of President Trump’s tariff policy with a single, searing observation: his exemptions for $385 billion in electronics imports—like smartphones, laptops, and semiconductors—prove his “national emergency” justification is a sham. According to the Journal, Customs and Border Protection slashed tariffs from a crippling 145% to just 20% on these goods, including $100 billion from China, sparing giants like Apple and Nvidia while leaving others to drown. If umbrellas and glassware are dire threats warranting emergency tariffs, why do iPhones and memory chips skate free? This isn’t about saving America—it’s about Trump playing favorites, and that selectivity blows his legal case to smithereens.
I’m all for cheaper gadgets, but these exemptions aren’t about fairness—they’re a confession that Trump’s emergency claim is bogus. The Journal’s editors hit the nail on the head: if electronics aren’t part of the crisis, why are they spared while small manufacturers choke on tariffs for Chinese parts? The law allows emergency tariffs for genuine threats, not for handing out hall passes to Tim Cook’s buddies while mom-and-pop shops get crushed. That kind of arbitrary favoritism doesn’t just stink of politics—it’s flat-out illegal. Trade laws and the Commerce Clause don’t let the president rewrite the economy on a whim. Trump’s own carve-outs undermine his rationale, giving groups like the Chamber of Commerce every reason to haul this mess into court.
Here’s what really grinds my gears: this whole tariff saga is a power grab dressed up as patriotism. The Journal calls the exemption process “opaque”—a swamp where big players like Dell and TSMC get breaks, but small businesses without high-priced lobbyists are left in the cold. If Trump can pick who pays and who doesn’t without a consistent standard, there’s no emergency—just a president flexing muscle he doesn’t legally have. Every tariff he’s slapped on under this flimsy pretext should be challenged, because the Journal’s report makes it crystal clear: Trump’s exemptions aren’t about protecting us; they’re about control, and they prove his entire tariff regime is on shaky legal ground.