Posting on Truth Social, Trump said he had previously informed Apple CEO Tim Cook that iPhones sold in the U.S. should be produced within the country, rather than in India or elsewhere. “If that is not the case,” Trump wrote, “a Tariff of at least 25% must be paid by Apple to the U.S.”
The warning marks another escalation in Trump’s push for reshoring American manufacturing, echoing comments he made during a recent trip toQatar. There, he claimed to have told Cook: “We’re not interested in you building in India… we want you to build here.”
Apple has increasingly shifted its iPhone production to India amid rising costs and trade tensions with China. In early May, Cook noted that a majority of iPhones sold in the U.S. would soon originate from India. He also acknowledged the uncertain effects of U.S. tariffs, particularly the 145% duties on Chinese products, despite exemptions for high-end tech like smartphones.
While fully assembled iPhones currently avoid the new tariffs, many of their components do not, and Apple estimates that U.S. tariffs could cost the company $900 million this quarter.
