US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer is making the rounds at American factories and handing out gold stars. Apple and Micron are the latest recipients, earning public praise for their domestic manufacturing commitments at a time when the administration is leaning hard into an America First industrial policy.
What Greer actually said
During a visit to Micron Technology’s expanded facility in Manassas, Virginia, Greer called tariffs on semiconductors “really important.” He framed semiconductor tariffs as a strategic necessity rather than a blunt economic weapon, emphasizing that any new duties should be carefully sequenced to avoid disrupting existing US production lines.
The US currently produces only about 10% of the chips it actually uses. Slapping immediate heavy tariffs on semiconductor imports would be like cutting off your water supply before you’ve finished digging a well.
His tour of advanced manufacturing facilities, which has included stops in California, is part of a broader 2026 trade agenda centered on addressing what the administration considers unfair trade practices in the semiconductor sector.
