Trump Threatens TSMC with 100% Tax If It Doesn’t Build Semiconductor Plants in U.S.

Trump warns TSMC of 100% tax if it doesn't build U.S. factories, criticizes Biden's $6.6B grant for semiconductor production. [Image via Reuters/File]

President Donald Trump on Tuesday said he told the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC), which has pledged to build new factories in the United States, it would pay a tax of up to 100% if it did not build its plants in the country.

Speaking at a Republican National Congressional Committee event, Trump criticized former President Joe Biden’s administration for providing a $6.6 billion grant to TSMC’s U.S. unit for semiconductor production in Phoenix, Arizona, saying semiconductor companies do not need the money.

“TSMC, I gave them no money … all I did was say, if you don’t build your plant here, you’re going to pay a big tax,” Trump said.

TSMC declined to comment.

Also See: Taiwan’s TSMC to Invest $100bn in US Chip Manufacturing, Trump Announces

In March, TSMC, the world’s biggest contract chipmaker, said at the White House that it plans to make a fresh $100 billion investment in the U.S. that includes building five additional chip facilities in coming years.

Earlier on Tuesday, Reuters reported the chipmaker could face a penalty of $1 billion or more to settle a U.S. export control investigation over a chip it made that ended up inside a Huawei Technologies (HWT.UL) AI processor.

This news is sourced from Reuters and is intended for informational purposes only.

News Desk

Your trusted source for insightful journalism. Stay informed with our compelling coverage of global affairs, business, technology, and more.

Recent

The Afghan Crucible

The Afghan Crucible

Recent reporting underscores Afghanistan’s transformation into a strategic hub for transnational jihadist networks. Far from being a localized security problem, the Afghan landscape now functions as an ideological, logistical, and digital anchor linking extremist affiliates across Africa, Southeast Asia, and beyond, signaling the collapse of regional containment and the rise of a globalized threat architecture.

Read More »
Economic Statecraft and the New Geography of Power in Regional Politics

Economic Statecraft and the New Geography of Power in Regional Politics

Strategic competition has moved beyond decisive wars toward a subtler synthesis of economic leverage, proxy networks, and calibrated force. Infrastructure, finance, and trade routes now function as instruments of power, quietly reshaping regional orders while preserving the façade of restraint. In this environment, security is no longer confined to the battlefield but embedded in supply chains, data networks, and development choices, forcing states to rethink deterrence, sovereignty, and resilience.

Read More »
The Manufacturing of a False Equivalence

The Manufacturing of a False Equivalence

As scrutiny mounts over the Taliban’s tolerance of TTP sanctuaries, Kabul has attempted to deflect blame by alleging that ISIS-K operates from Pakistan. This false equivalence ignores the historical origins of ISIS-K in eastern Afghanistan, its sustained campaign of violence against Pakistan, and verified intelligence showing that the group’s operational depth remains rooted inside Afghan territory.

Read More »
Healthcare as Statecraft in Taliban-Ruled Afghanistan

Healthcare as Statecraft in Taliban-Ruled Afghanistan

Afghanistan’s recent shift away from Pakistani pharmaceutical imports toward Indian suppliers marks a dangerous transformation of healthcare into a tool of geopolitical signaling. Framed as regulatory reform, this pivot reflects a broader biopolitical strategy in which access to medicine is subordinated to diplomatic recalibration, with profound ethical and humanitarian consequences for an already vulnerable population.

Read More »
The Taliban Regime and the 2025 Global CFT Framework

The Taliban Regime and the 2025 Global CFT Framework

Despite consolidating internal control and boosting revenues, the Taliban remain structurally incompatible with the 2025 global Counter-Terrorism Financing regime, as sanctions, militant linkages, and gender persecution block financial reintegration.

Read More »