President Donald Trump unpredictable and undependable tariff policy/moves continue. He’s signed an executive order delaying steep levies on dozens of countries that were set to take effect on Wednesday, the White House said. Now they’ll take effect on August 1.
According to ABC News, Trump’s so-called reciprocal tariffs will now take effect on Aug. 1, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters. Trump announced 25% tariffs on South Korea and Japan that would take effect at the start of August. Twelve additional countries would receive notifications Monday about new tariffs, Leavitt said.
Trump delayed the “reciprocal tariffs” in April, vowing to strike roughly 90 trade deals in 90 days. That’s not going so well. So far, the White House says it has reached trade agreements with only the United Kingdom and Vietnam, as well as a preliminary accord with China.
As ABC News notes, the return of the policy would dramatically hike tariffs on dozens of trade partners. Examples include a 49% tariff on Cambodia and a 37% tariff on Bangladesh.
And as AppleInsider notes, some of the tariffs will affect countries where Apple manufactures its products.
Outside of its production in China and Vietnam, Apple has production or sourcing from suppliers based in Japan, South Korea, Kazakhstan, and South Africa, among the already-announced tariff changes.
Meanwhile for Vietnam, the trade deal will see Apple paying at least five times more in tariffs than before the tariff battle began. Apple is already expecting to feel the pinch from tariffs in the current financial quarter. The company has warned that the tariffs will cost approximately $900 million in the period.
That’s beside its high-cost adjustments to its global distribution and production system to minimize the impact of tariffs, notes AppleInsider.
CNBC has noted that critics (and I’m one) of Trump’s unpredictable tariff policies warn that the duties create economic uncertainty and will result in higher prices for U.S. consumers. The Trump administration and its defenders counter that tariffs do not cause inflation and note that the president’s duties have brought in billions of dollars to the U.S. government. And there’s some truth to that.
The Department of Homeland Security says U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has collected $106.1 billion since President Trump took office. Most of this revenue, $81.5 billion, is a result of the Trump Administration’s tariffs.
During the first five months of 2025, the federal government collected $68.9 billion in tariffs and excise taxes, a 78% increase compared to the same period in the previous year.
Some reports claim that Trump’s imposed tariffs could raise a projected $2.0 trillion in revenue over the next decade. In 2025, the imposed and scheduled tariffs are expected to increase federal tax revenues by $156.2 billion. This is described as a larger tax hike than those enacted under Presidents Obama and George H.W. Bush.
However, while the tariffs have generated revenue, they are also projected to have a negative impact on the US economy, reducing Gross Domestic Product (GDP), the total market value of all finished goods and services produced within a country’s borders in a specific time period, usually a year. It’s a key measure of a nation’s economic health and performance. GDP essentially reflects the size and activity of an economy.
Another downside is that retaliatory tariffs imposed by other countries, such as China, Canada, and the European Union, are also impacting the overall economic effects and revenue generated.
As for specific tariffs, the Vietnamese tariff will be harmful to Apple — and it seems to be a continuation of Trump’s petty, spiteful moves. In May Trump said Apple will get hit with a 25% tariff unless the company only manufactures its iPhones in the U.S.
That month Apple CEO Tim Cook reported that half of iPhones are coming from India, everything else from Vietnam, and the bare minimum from China when shipping to the U.S.
As noted by MacRumors, the warning came via the President’s Truth Social platform after CEO Tim Cook announced earlier this month that Indian facilities would handle the majority of U.S. iPhone sales. Apple’s pivot to India was widely seen as a strategy to sidestep Chinese manufacturing amid ongoing trade tensions.
“I have long ago informed Tim Cook of Apple that I expect their iPhones that will be sold in the United States of America will be manufactured and built in the United States, not India, or anyplace else,” Trump wrote. “If that is not the case, a Tariff of at least 25% must be paid by Apple to the U.S. Thank your [sic] for your attention to this matter!”
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