Asia stocks rise past Trump tariff threat, Australia dips after RBA holds
Investing.com -- TF International Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo suggested on Wednesday that Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) might be trying to divert attention from potential iPhone tariffs by purchasing U.S. President Donald Trump’s gold cards.
President Trump stated on Wednesday that Apple would buy a large quantity of his $5 million "gold cards," which provide wealthy immigrants a path to U.S. citizenship.
Kuo connected this announcement to his earlier analysis, noting that "Apple could try to calm Trump’s emotions in order to temporarily shift his focus from the iPhone tariffs. It looks like they’ve figured out how."
The analyst had previously suggested last month that if Trump’s threat of a 25% iPhone tariff was related to Apple CEO Tim Cook not joining his Middle East trip, it might actually benefit Apple in the short term. Kuo indicated that Apple could potentially delay tariff discussions by redirecting Trump’s attention.
Trump has threatened to impose a 25% tariff on Apple iPhones not manufactured in the United States, pushing the company to move production from China and India to avoid the tax. This potential tariff could substantially raise iPhone prices for American consumers.
The tariff threat, part of Trump’s broader trade policies, has already reduced Apple’s market value by billions of dollars. The company has been working to diversify its supply chain and has committed $500 billion to manufacturing in the United States.
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