President Trump on Friday threatened to hit Apple with 25 percent tariffs if it does not move its manufacturing to the U.S.
“I have long ago informed Tim Cook of Apple that I expect their iPhone’s that will be sold in the United States of America will be manufactured and built in the United States, not India, or anyplace else,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social.
“If that is not the case, a Tariff of at least 25% must be paid by Apple to the U.S.” he continued. “Thank your for your attention to this matter!”
The president has taken aim at Apple and CEO Tim Cook in recent weeks over the iPhone maker’s manufacturing in India.
Apple produces the vast majority of its products in China. However, it has increasingly sought to diversify its supply chain, moving manufacturing to countries such as India and Vietnam.
The company’s shift away from China has been central to its efforts to avoid the worst impacts amid Trump’s trade war with Beijing.
Trump voiced his frustration with Cook earlier this month, after he reached an agreement with China to substantially lower tariffs for 90 days.
“I had a little problem with Tim Cook yesterday. I said to him, ‘Tim you’re my friend, I treated you very good. You’re coming in with $500 billion, but now you’re building all over India. I don’t want you building in India,’” Trump said.
“I said, ‘Tim, look, we’ve treated you really good. We’ve put up with all the plants that you built in China for years. Now, you gotta build us. We’re not interested in you building in India. India can take care of themselves. They’re doing very well. We want you to build here,’” he added. “And they’re going to be upping their production in the United States.”
Apple announced in February that it plans to spend $500 billion in the U.S. over the next four years, including building a new factory in Texas.
Trump’s tariffs have been particularly challenging for the company. U.S. tariffs on Chinese imports previously sat at a hefty 145 percent, while China responded by raising tariffs on U.S. imports to 125 percent.
The president’s wide-ranging “reciprocal” tariffs initially covered India and Vietnam as well, which faced 26 percent and 46 percent tariffs, respectively. However, Trump pulled back on most of these tariffs, announcing a 90-day pause on all but the China tariffs and a universal 10 percent baseline tariff.
He also later exempted electronics, including Apple’s smartphones, from the China tariffs. Despite Trump’s push to reshore much of the iPhone maker’s manufacturing, experts have warned that this is unrealistic, especially on a short time frame.
“The pressure from Trump Administration on Apple to build iPhone production in the US as we have discussed this would result in an iPhone price point that is a non-starter for Cupertino,” Wedbush Securities analysts wrote in a note Friday.
They cautioned that a U.S.-built iPhone would cost around $3,500, and that it would take 5-10 years to move production to the U.S.
“We believe the concept of Apple producing iPhones in the US is a fairy tale that is not feasible,” they added.
Updated at 9:30 a.m. EDT
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