Trump’s Vietnam trade deal slaps 20% tariffs on Apple devices

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A new trade deal between President Donald Trump and Vietnam will make it much more expensive for Apple to bring many of its products into the US. 

According to CNBC, Trump’s deal will add big new tariffs on things like AirPods, almost all iPads, Apple Watches, Mac minis, and even some MacBook Pros. 

These devices are mostly made in Vietnam now because Apple moved production there to avoid earlier tariffs on Chinese goods.

Before Trump’s new deal, the tariffs on products coming from Vietnam were low, usually under 4%, and some Apple products even paid no tariff at all, depending on the time of year. 

But under the new agreement, there’s now a flat 20% tariff on many of these devices. This means Apple has to pay 20% extra on top of the product’s cost just to bring it into the US. 

There’s also a harsher 40% tariff if products were originally made elsewhere but shipped through Vietnam to try to avoid taxes, but Apple’s operations don’t seem to fall under that rule.

Apple can’t avoid these tariffs by switching factories quickly, since it’s already moved a lot of production to Vietnam. 

Even though Trump claims Vietnam will “pay” these tariffs, in reality, it’s Apple that pays, and probably passes the cost onto customers through higher prices.

This new 20% tax is five times higher than the old average tariff, and could cause prices for iPads, AirPods, and other Apple devices to rise in the US. 

Trump says the US will get to sell products into Vietnam with zero tariffs in exchange, but experts point out that this doesn’t make the math fair or truly “reciprocal.”

The deal with Vietnam follows Trump’s recent trade agreement with China, which also increases costs for Apple and other US companies. 

More trade deals like this one are expected soon, which could make it even harder and more expensive for tech companies to keep prices stable for American consumers.

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