By Alexandra Alper
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The Trump administration is considering imposing tariffs on foreign electronic devices based on the number of chips in each device, according to three people familiar with the matter, as it seeks to drive companies to shift their manufacturing to the United States.
According to the plan, which has not previously been reported and could change, the Commerce Department would impose a tariff on the imported product that is equal to a percentage of the estimated value of the chip content of the item.
If implemented, the plan would show the Trump administration is seeking to hit a wide range of consumer products, from toothbrushes to laptops, potentially driving up inflation as it seeks to ramp up U.S. manufacturing.
The Commerce Department did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
“America cannot be reliant on foreign imports for the semiconductor products that are essential for our national and economic security,” White House spokesperson Kush Desai said, when asked about the details. “The Trump administration is implementing a nuanced, multi-faceted approach to reshoring critical manufacturing back to the United States with tariffs, tax cuts, deregulation, and energy abundance.”
(Reporting by Alexandra Alper; additional reporting by Karen Freifeld; editing by Chris Sanders and Richard Chang)
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