While Trump insists that these exemptions are only temporary, it appears that this pivot might have been the work of Apple CEO Tim Cook. A report from the Washington Post cites sources who spoke of a call between Cook and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick that happened before the exemptions were made public.

When U.S. President Donald Trump levied 145 percent tariffs on goods imported from China, Apple CEO Tim Cook started working to score Apple

During the most recent fiscal year that ended in September, Apple reportedly exported more than $17 billion worth of iPhones from India. Apple additionally depends on Vietnam to assemble products like its Apple Watch and iPad, while Malaysia and Thailand have played a larger role in manufacturing the Mac computer.