US President Donald Trump has applied pressure on Apple’s CEO Tim Cook after the company begun switching production of its iPhone from China to India. Trump says he believes the iPhone should be made in the company’s home nation of the US, rather than another country.
“I had a little problem with Tim Cook yesterday,” Trump told media on a state visit to Qatar on Wednesday, as reported by Bloomberg. “I said to him, my friend, I am treating you very good. You are coming up with $500 billion but now I hear you are building all over India. I don’t want you building in India.”
“We put up with all the plants you built in China for years. We are not interested in you building in India. India can take care of themselves. They are doing very well. We want you to build here [the US].”
Until recently, Apple made almost all of its iPhones in China. Since global tariffs were introduced by the US government in April, Apple has been figuring out an alternative plan for production of units sold in the US to avoid hefty tariffs on Chinese imports.
Apple had planned to move all iPhone production for US sales to India by the end of next year, but these new comments from Trump may have complicated things. Apple has been sourcing over half its iPhones sold in the US from India. Goods from India are only subject to a 10% import fee.
The company plans to continue building products for the rest of the world in its operation within China. Other Apple gadgets sold in the US, like iPad, Mac, and Apple Watch, are being produced in Vietnam.
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Earlier this week, sources said that Apple plans to increase the price of the iPhone 17 series, but it wants to avoid blaming the tariffs. According to a report from The Wall Street Journal, executives within the company are worried about political fallout if the company were to say the price change is connected.
In April, a report about Amazon suggested the retailer would be putting a note on listings to say when a price had increased because of tariffs. The White House soon called the move a “political and hostile act.” Amazon then denied the report saying it had only “considered” including it on its Temu-like low cost retailer called Haul.
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About James Peckham
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