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> This is Senator Chris Murphy explaining it’s not economic policy, it’s an attempt to blackmail corporations into submission by making a deal with him in retur

> This is Senator Chris Murphy explaining it’s not economic policy, it’s an attempt to blackmail corporations into submission by making a deal with him in return for sanctions relief. Weirdly the same explanation works if you're being less uncharitable, i.e. Apple agreed to invest $500B in the US but everybody knows new factories aren't going to be built overnight, so they get a reprieve from the tariffs for now provided they continue to go through with the investment. Which in turn makes them immune from future tariffs once they're actually making iPhones in the US, while allowing the tariffs to be reinstituted against anyone who didn't do likewise.

bruce511 2y ago
Apple can agree to invest 500B to build a factory, but they don't have to actually do it. Building a factory takes years, and a big chunk of that happens long before you actually start work on site. You gotta find a site, work with local govt to negotiate servicing, environmental report (there's a couple years, and potentially a couple go-arounds right there.) So there can be lots of activity, lots of progress reports, lots of optimism, for a decade or more before any real money has to be spent. Ultimately Apple et al can "agree" to anything, the president can have his "big win" and things can carry on just as before.
- apull 2y ago
  [dead]
- IOT_Apprentice 2y ago
  More likely they bought Trump’s crypto coin to increase Trump’s wealth.
Braxton1980 2y ago
Why did he implement the tariffs in the first place? The $500b was announced more than a month ago https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2025/02/apple-will-spend-more-than-500-billion-usd-in-the-us-over-the-next-four-years/ https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2025/02/apple-will-spend-more...
- kQq9oHeAz6wLLS 2y ago
  He's been talking about tariffs since before the election, so they likely were anticipating it.
  - Braxton1980 2y ago
    My comment is a reply to the parent implying he paused the tariffs due to Apple's investment
- xnx 2y ago
  > Why did he implement the tariffs in the first place It's easy to forget that for a day or two they said it was because of fentanyl.
  - chipsrafferty 2y ago
    Isn't most fentanyl made in the US?
kQq9oHeAz6wLLS 2y ago
> Weirdly the same explanation works if you're being less uncharitable Annoyingly, "assume the worst about people, especially those on the opposite side of the political spectrum" seems to be the norm these days.
- freejazz 2y ago
  Well if Trump wants it to not seem back-handed to create a scheme to force companies to come to him to negotiate, he should be open about it then
  - kQq9oHeAz6wLLS 2y ago
    I wasn't talking about Trump specifically, or even conservatives. Everyone on both sides automatically thinks the worst about everyone on the other side these days, usually just to score some internet points. It's a terrible way to go through life. We should show a little grace sometimes.
    - jonplackett 2y ago
      Just a good time to remember that the same guy who thinks tariffs are a good idea is the guy who stood at a podium during Covid next to the world’s leading expert and suggested injecting bleach into Covid patients was a good idea. And was caught on mic saying he likes to grope women. I would not say anyone is ‘automatically’ questioning Trump’s character or intelligence. There is plenty of evidence he has neither.
      - spiderfarmer 2y ago
        Truth is, Trump never said anything particularly intelligent or insightful. I think most commenters in this thread would make smarter decisions and would give better answers to tough questions without resorting to deflections and personal attacks . He always needs someone around to explain his boasting comments to make it seems logical, but this term, he’s not even surrounded by smart people anymore. It’s frightening.
scarface_74 2y ago
Apple will not be making iPhones in the US. Labor costs would be too high, the supply chain for the raw materials and the parts is non existent, etc. It’s a sop to Trump just like when Cook did the dog and pony show and bragged about making the 10 Mac Pros that they ship in a year in the US.
bigfatkitten 2y ago
It's not like they're building an iPhone factory, anyway. The $500b investment is going towards a bunch of things, including a factory to build servers for their AI services.
EliRivers 2y ago
provided they continue to go through with the investment I recall the Foxconn Wisconsin situation, and I have no doubt Apple et al are well aware of it. String out a pretense of building factories in the US for the next three and a half years? Easy peasy. President Trump will soon get bored of this game anyway and move on to the next one; he already looks like he's bored of it and it didn't bring him universal acclaim and admiration.

bruce511 2y ago

Apple can agree to invest 500B to build a factory, but they don't have to actually do it. Building a factory takes years, and a big chunk of that happens long before you actually start work on site. You gotta find a site, work with local govt to negotiate servicing, environmental report (there's a couple years, and potentially a couple go-arounds right there.) So there can be lots of activity, lots of progress reports, lots of optimism, for a decade or more before any real money has to be spent. Ultimately Apple et al can "agree" to anything, the president can have his "big win" and things can carry on just as before.

apull 2y ago
[dead]
IOT_Apprentice 2y ago
More likely they bought Trump’s crypto coin to increase Trump’s wealth.

Braxton1980 2y ago

Why did he implement the tariffs in the first place? The $500b was announced more than a month ago https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2025/02/apple-will-spend-more-than-500-billion-usd-in-the-us-over-the-next-four-years/ https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2025/02/apple-will-spend-more...

kQq9oHeAz6wLLS 2y ago
He's been talking about tariffs since before the election, so they likely were anticipating it.
- Braxton1980 2y ago
  My comment is a reply to the parent implying he paused the tariffs due to Apple's investment
xnx 2y ago
> Why did he implement the tariffs in the first place It's easy to forget that for a day or two they said it was because of fentanyl.
- chipsrafferty 2y ago
  Isn't most fentanyl made in the US?

kQq9oHeAz6wLLS 2y ago

> Weirdly the same explanation works if you're being less uncharitable Annoyingly, "assume the worst about people, especially those on the opposite side of the political spectrum" seems to be the norm these days.

freejazz 2y ago
Well if Trump wants it to not seem back-handed to create a scheme to force companies to come to him to negotiate, he should be open about it then
- kQq9oHeAz6wLLS 2y ago
  I wasn't talking about Trump specifically, or even conservatives. Everyone on both sides automatically thinks the worst about everyone on the other side these days, usually just to score some internet points. It's a terrible way to go through life. We should show a little grace sometimes.
  - jonplackett 2y ago
    Just a good time to remember that the same guy who thinks tariffs are a good idea is the guy who stood at a podium during Covid next to the world’s leading expert and suggested injecting bleach into Covid patients was a good idea. And was caught on mic saying he likes to grope women. I would not say anyone is ‘automatically’ questioning Trump’s character or intelligence. There is plenty of evidence he has neither.
    - spiderfarmer 2y ago
      Truth is, Trump never said anything particularly intelligent or insightful. I think most commenters in this thread would make smarter decisions and would give better answers to tough questions without resorting to deflections and personal attacks . He always needs someone around to explain his boasting comments to make it seems logical, but this term, he’s not even surrounded by smart people anymore. It’s frightening.

scarface_74 2y ago

Apple will not be making iPhones in the US. Labor costs would be too high, the supply chain for the raw materials and the parts is non existent, etc. It’s a sop to Trump just like when Cook did the dog and pony show and bragged about making the 10 Mac Pros that they ship in a year in the US.

bigfatkitten 2y ago

It's not like they're building an iPhone factory, anyway. The $500b investment is going towards a bunch of things, including a factory to build servers for their AI services.

EliRivers 2y ago

provided they continue to go through with the investment I recall the Foxconn Wisconsin situation, and I have no doubt Apple et al are well aware of it. String out a pretense of building factories in the US for the next three and a half years? Easy peasy. President Trump will soon get bored of this game anyway and move on to the next one; he already looks like he's bored of it and it didn't bring him universal acclaim and admiration.