在 Donald Trump 的第 2nd 任期内，白宫正为 TSMC 的美国客户（包括 Amazon、Google 和 Microsoft）准备一项重大的晶片关税豁免，这显示即使与 Big Tech 多年来存在摩擦，政府仍在推动更鲜明的亲 AI 产业政策。此举是在美台贸易协议之后提出，反映出一项核心判断：尽管广泛关税政策带来政治压力，且外界担忧利益分配可能不均，AI 驱动的基础设施仍可提升美国成长、就业与财富。
该豁免尚未签署且仍在变动中，但官员表示其具附带条件：只有在 TSMC 继续于美国推进价值 billions of dollars 的投资时，豁免才会维持，否则可被撤销。这使关税减免直接连结到国内产能建设，也显示美国在尝试将战略性生产回流的同时，仍持续依赖全球半导体供应链。与此同时，在新的 Epstein 相关揭露后，两党议员正加大对商务部长 Howard Lutnick 的施压，而白宫则公开力挺他。
关键时间线资料加剧了 Lutnick 争议：商务部表示，Lutnick 与其妻子在 2005 年曾会见 Epstein，之后 14 years 内接触有限；但 Lutnick 在 2025 年淡化了彼此关系。新释出的 DOJ 材料据称以社交安排证据及至少 1 项共同投资，与先前说法相矛盾。更广泛的政府脉络还包括先前曾有要求辞职的压力但未导致下台，其中包含约 1 year ago 的一宗丑闻，以及上月在 Minneapolis 发生、造成 2 名平民死亡的另一起事件，显示其政治韧性模式，但声誉风险正在上升。政府反驳称，其政绩包括促成数兆美元投资与重大贸易协议，并将当前攻击描述为转移焦点。
In Donald Trump’s 2nd term, the White House is preparing a major chip-tariff carve-out for US customers of TSMC, including Amazon, Google, and Microsoft, signaling a sharper pro-AI industrial policy even after years of friction with Big Tech. The move follows a US-Taiwan trade deal and reflects a core calculation that AI-driven infrastructure can lift US growth, jobs, and wealth despite political pressure from broad tariff policies and concerns that benefits may be unevenly distributed.
The carve-out remains unsigned and in flux, but officials indicate it is conditional: exemptions stay only if TSMC proceeds with investment worth billions of dollars in the US, otherwise they can be revoked. This links tariff relief directly to domestic capacity-building and shows continued US dependence on global semiconductor supply chains while trying to reshore strategic production. In parallel political fallout, lawmakers from both parties are escalating pressure on commerce secretary Howard Lutnick after new Epstein-related disclosures, while the White House publicly backs him.
Key timeline data intensifies the Lutnick controversy: the commerce department says Lutnick and his wife met Epstein in 2005 with limited contact over the next 14 years, while Lutnick in 2025 downplayed ties; newly released DOJ material reportedly contradicts earlier claims with evidence of social plans and at least 1 joint investment. Broader administration context includes prior resignation pressures that did not force exits, including a scandal nearly 1 year ago and a separate incident last month in Minneapolis in which 2 civilians were killed, suggesting a pattern of political resilience but rising reputational risk. The administration counters that its record includes securing trillions of dollars in investment and major trade deals, framing current attacks as a distraction.