Donald Trump’s trade war is a chaotic mess, with official U.S. trade policy changing by the hour via Truth Social posts and unhinged cable news interviews. One thing is certain: Americans already feel the pain from Trump’s tariff tax. Trump’s chaotic policies are already hitting Americans’ wallets, with electronics prices climbing and more hikes on the horizon.
An American laptop company, Framework, wrote several posts on their blog reacting to Trump’s chaotic policies and updating customers about availability and price changes. Framework’s latest updates instruct customers to expect higher prices for inventory shipped before the tariff tax and higher prices once domestic inventory has run out and reshipping is required.
Taiwanese tech giant Asus announced price hikes on several of its Zenbook and Vivobook laptops back in March in preparation for Trump’s chaos. At the time, Asus warned that their products could see higher increases if the trade war escalated.
Trump’s signal that his tariff exemptions aren’t permanent only adds more uncertainty to a technology industry already majorly disrupted by them. Online retailer Newegg has already hiked prices on certain Nvidia GPUs by as much as $400 because of the Trump tariffs. The Consumer Technology Association projects that Trump’s tariffs could raise laptop and tablet prices by as much as 46%, slashing sales by up to 68%.
Retailers like Best Buy warned months ago that they’ll be forced to raise prices on consumer electronics, noting that “there’s very little in [the] consumer electronics space that is not imported.”
Trump’s trade war is escalating every day without an end in sight. When parents go back-to-school shopping late this summer, sticker prices for laptops and tablets could be higher than ever.
“Donald Trump’s tariffs have already hiked prices for laptops, tablets, and tech that American households need to work, learn, and live. Even though there are just a few weeks left in the school year, Trump’s chaos could last months and keep prices rising late into the summer when parents are trying to buy supplies for the next school season,” said American Bridge 21st Century spokesperson Brandon Weathersby. “Trump has no clue what he’s doing, and every American is paying for it. He calls it the art of the deal, but the deal changes every time he rage-posts on Truth Social. Trump can’t stop chasing headlines long enough to create an actual plan. It’s a clown show with real-world consequences. The only consistent thing about his chaos is that it makes life more expensive for working people.”
Published: Apr 14, 2025 | Last Modified: Apr 21, 2025