Former US President Donald Trump has again targeted Apple and its CEO Tim Cook, issuing a threat of a substantial tariff on iPhones produced in India.
On Friday, May 23, Trump wrote on his Truth Social site accusing Apple of moving its production out of the United States and threatening economic repercussions. “I have already made Tim Cook of Apple aware that I anticipate their iPhone’s that they sell in the United States of America to be made and constructed in the United States, not India, or anywhere else. If that does not happen, a Tariff of at least 25% will have to be paid by Apple to the U.S. Thank your for your consideration on this issue!
Criticism Heats Up Over India Production Shift
This scathing remark comes in response to Trump’s recent annoyance with Apple’s expansion of its manufacturing base in India. In his Gulf tour on May 15, Trump remembered a discussion with Cook the previous day. “He is constructing everywhere in India. I don’t want you constructing in India. India can take care of itself,” Trump remarked, disapproving of Apple’s supply chain transition.
Apple’s India Manufacturing Base Expands
Apple has grown its manufacturing footprint in India, primarily through its vendor Foxconn Technology Group in southern India. The Tata Group is also busy establishing iPhone assembly lines in the nation. Media reports in 2023 indicated that Tata’s Hosur plant in Tamil Nadu had the potential to accommodate 20 assembly lines and employ as many as 50,000 workers in two years.
Apple put together $22 billion of iPhones in India during the year to March 2025 — up almost 60% on the previous year. Apple is strategically spreading its supply chain away from China, thanks in part to continued US-China trade tensions.
Cook Backs India as Vital Production Base
In the past, this year, Apple chief Tim Cook revealed the turn towards India for iPhone assembly, where he claimed the majority of iPhones distributed in the US this quarter would be made in India. The move was attributed to constant geopolitical and economic changes.Meanwhile, despite Apple’s international strategy, Trump’s hardline stance on local manufacturing might prove a crux issue in the 2024 US presidential election, particularly as tech supply chains continue to face questioning.
