Trump mulls a 300% tariff on chips — levies coming within two weeks as Section 232 investigation nears completion

U.S. President Donald Trump plans to introduce steep new trade duties on steel, semiconductors, and possibly pharmaceuticals within the next two weeks. What could bewilder the high-tech industry is that Trump is mulling up to 300% tariffs on semiconductors, according to Bloomberg.

“I am going to have a rate that is going to be 200%, 300%,” said Trump while talking to journalists onboard of the Air Force One, according to Bloomberg.

The threat would certainly make PC enthusiasts wonder whether they will have to pay $1,999 for Nvidia’s top-end GeForce RTX 5090 as they do now, or nearly $6,000 if the proposal comes into effect. Buy, maybe not at all?

Trump’s habit of announcing extreme tariff plans — like 200% – 300% duties on semiconductors — without actually putting them in place creates prolonged uncertainty that impacts the whole semiconductor supply chain.

For chipmakers, electronics brands, and AI companies, the lack of clear timelines or rules forces them to make contingency plans that may never be needed, tying up resources and slowing real investment. This kind of drawn-out “will he or won’t he” approach can push companies to make hasty shifts toward U.S. production, but it also risks leaving them exposed if the promised tariffs either change dramatically or never arrive.

Trump has long threatened tariffs under a Section 232 investigation, which allows the U.S. Department of Commerce to investigate the impact of certain imports on national security, and then allows the adjustment of tariffs at the President’s discretion. The Department of Commerce has had a Section 232 investigation underway since April, 2025, but the timeline for the verdict isn’t yet known.

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