Trump Threatens Apple With 25% Tariff Over Offshore iPhone Production

U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday issued a warning to Apple, threatening to impose a 25% tariff on iPhones sold in the United States if the tech giant does not shift production back to American soil.

Posting on his social media platform, Truth Social, Trump stated, “I had long ago informed Tim Cook of Apple that I expect their iPhones that will be sold in the United States of America will be manufactured and built in the United States, not India, or anyplace else.”

“If that is not the case, a tariff of at least 25% must be paid by Apple to the U.S.,” he added.

Trump’s remarks signal a continuation of the protectionist trade stance that defined his previous administration, which was marked by sweeping tariffs on key trading partners, disrupting global markets and international supply chains.

These latest comments echo his statements from a visit to Qatar last week, where he urged Apple to relocate iPhone production to the U.S.

“I had a little problem with Tim Cook,” Trump said on May 15.

He recalled telling the Apple CEO: “We’re not interested in you building in India… We want you to build here, and they’re going to be upping their production in the United States.”

However, Apple CEO Tim Cook has a different forecast. While presenting the company’s first-quarter earnings earlier this month, he indicated, “A majority of iPhones sold in the US will have India as their country of origin.”

Cook also addressed the implications of the U.S.’s 145% tariffs on Chinese products, describing the long-standing manufacturing base in China as increasingly uncertain. Although smartphones currently enjoy a temporary exemption, some Apple components remain affected by the tariffs.

Apple estimates the U.S. tariffs will cost the company $900 million in the current quarter. Despite this, Cook said the financial impact was “limited” at the start of the year.

— AFP