President Donald Trump stated he has urged Apple’s CEO Tim Cook to halt its partners’ building out manufacturing facilities in India for U.S.-bound devices, encouraging the iPhone maker to increase domestic production as it shifts away from reliance on China.
Jordan Fabian and Sankalp Phartiyal for Bloomberg News:
“I had a little problem with Tim Cook yesterday,” Trump said of his conversation with Apple’s chief executive officer in Qatar, where he’s on a state visit. “He is building all over India. I don’t want you building in India.” As a result of their discussion, Trump said Apple will be “upping their production in the United States.”
Trump’s comments threaten to throw a wrench into Apple’s plan to import most of the iPhones it sells in the US from India by the end of next year, accelerating a shift beyond China to mitigate risks related to tariffs and geopolitical tensions. Apple makes most of its iPhones in China and has no smartphone production in the US — though it’s promised to hire more workers at home and pledged to spend $500 billion domestically over the next four years.
The iPhone facilities in India produce more than 40 million units per year, about 20% of Apple’s annual output. While Trump has pushed Apple to make iPhones in the US, the lack of domestic engineering and manufacturing talent will make that nearly impossible in the short run.
Trump’s comments suggest he’s fine with Apple building its products in India for that market. “You can build in India if you want, to take care of India,” he said.
Trump also discussed tariff negotiations with India, saying the South Asian country has made an offer to drop import taxes on US goods. India has one of the highest tariff barriers in the world and it’s very hard to sell American products in the planet’s most populous country, Trump said.
MacDailyNews Take: President Trump’s comments are a component of the ongoing reciprocal trade negotiations with India.
India’s “Make in India” program, launched in 2014, aims to transform the country into a global manufacturing hub. It promotes domestic production by attracting foreign investment, easing regulatory frameworks, and fostering innovation. Targeting sectors like electronics, automobiles, and renewable energy, the initiative seeks to boost job creation, enhance skill development, and reduce reliance on imports. With incentives like tax breaks and streamlined approvals, it has drawn companies like Apple to set up assembly plants. Over the past decade, “Make in India” has spurred economic growth, positioning India as a competitive player in global supply chains while strengthening self-reliance.
The “Make in India” program includes tariffs to promote domestic manufacturing. It imposes higher import duties on foreign goods, like electronics and components, to encourage local production. For example, tariffs on mobile phone parts range from 10-20%, pushing companies like Apple to assemble in India. Exemptions or lower duties apply to inputs for export-oriented manufacturing. These tariffs aim to reduce import dependency, boost job creation, and make Indian-made products competitive while also potentially raising costs for consumers of goods not made in India.
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“President Trump’s comments are a component of the ongoing reciprocal trade negotiations with India.”
uh, trump’s comments are a component of gov’t interference in the free market.
companies operating legally are free to make whatever they want wherever they want.
tariff policy can manipulate their decisions, but it’s not the government’s role in a non-socialist economy to micromanage private enterprise.
(imagine if biden started telling companies operating legally what they should and shouldn’t do…)
Part of me wonders if the motivation is actually because Trump knows about imminent potential wars/conflicts that could disrupt the fragile global supply chains we rely on for modern society. Globalization has made us so dependant on other countries that we would be screwed if it broke down. IMHO, Trump sees the writing on the wall and is trying to preserve the future of American companies. China wants taiwain and TSMC. Pakistan and India are an issue. middle east is always a mess. Bringing manufacturing back to the US is a fallback plan for American sovereignty if globalization falls apart.
Surely the way to secure sovereignty is to make sure globalisation works. It appears that the 2 nations currently undermining globalisation and US & Russia.. MAGA is not the answer.
“Correction” Undermining globalisation are USA & Russia
“…globalization works.” Up until now, globalization has been a farce… My vote; undermine, pull support, open one’s eyes to the trap that is globalization. For the sake of one that may be only think binary on this topic, this does not mean being at odds with the rest of the World. Sovereignty is the utmost and how that aligns with the globalism of the very recent past is impossible…unless one likes centralization and orgs like the UN, WEF, World Bank and dictatorial minds creating their own sandbox with their own rules.
Noting MAGA as one unified mind shows your naive bias.
Yes John, it is the government’s role to prevent private companies from undermining the national and economic security of the Nation. Apple has armed Communist China with sophisticated high-tech manufacturing experience, training and know-how, they are just beginning to pay the price for this betrayal.
B…it!
America made even more money with cheeper stuff made by aliens. All where pretty happy to buy stuff half the price than the “home made” ones.
You, apparently do little where good tools are required…yes, to create using hands. Cheap stuff = dregs.
Please use a spellchecker or dictionary before you post.
So, it’s okay for India to do it, taking advantage of America, but America and Americans just have to sit and take it, bankrolling to entire f–king world?
NOT ANYMORE.
MAGA.
AMERICA IS EXCEPTIONAL.
AMERICA IS THE WORLD’S NO.1 MARKET.
FU.
No 1 market !! And plummeting fast….. in 2025 alone tourism to USA has fallen by £12 billion dollars. European airlines are reporting major declines in airline bookings to USA… MAGA is not the answer… if anything it is driving revulsion and a boycott of American goods and services. Tesla sale in Europe are down 40% yoy
Hugh, a non-American is “authoritatively” stating MAGA is not the way. Tourism to the US has fallen (by Euro/pound denom–funny), but as the dollar’s value falls, a flood of travelers will result. (A decrease in the dollar’s value isn’t–may I guess–what you think it is). “Revulsion,” it sounds like interjection of personal narrative, hugh.
Stock market losses have been recouped and the market forecast from a broad opinion set is bullish. Mag 7 is likely to have challenges…greatly overvalued and rewind of common destination of Chinese investments as Treasuries lessened favor.
America was prosituted by the previous Admin. Now, the State of Mind–except for those advocating for crime embracing illegals and men playing in women’s sprorts (etc)–is more positive and future looking than many yrs previously.
Truly, a renaissance of sorts.
Without reciprocal trade, which does not currently exist between the U.S. and India, and has not, ever, it is not, by definition, a “free market,” bless your heart.
It is legal trade and it is ridiculous for Trump to tell companies how to make their products, or where. He should be focusing on trying to make America welcoming to business, with lower taxes and with far fewer regulations and a better educated work force. Our government goes out of its way to be hostile to business and then wonders why companies are more welcomed when they operate in China, theoretically a communist dictatorship. Actually it is more free market in many ways than the US.
Taiwain #1. China is garbage
Biden and Trump are both telling auto companies they have to make EVs and get rid of gas engines. Trump’s EPA is still enforcing ridiculous corporate average fuel economy minimums which don’t apply to EVs and which force the end of the gas engine ultimately. As for Trump on Apple, you are right. Trump is acting like a Soviet Tsar. An idiot. And is demands change every day. He is acting like someone on drugs.
Trump IS NOT telling auto co’s to get rid of gas engines. The rock you are under is affecting you in many ways…he’s exclaimed the opposite after assuming the Exec Office and stated this intent prior.
Tell me you don’t like DJT and related lies are ok.
Didn’t he buy a Tesla – even though presidents current or past aren’t allowed to drive?
I am likely to be bailing on all US stocks that i hold, including Apple….. this situation gets more worrying by the day
Then do it, we don’t give a shit.
Trump … tell Tim Apple to get a big, beautiful dump truck, back it up into Apple’s Cupertino courtyard, and dismantle that crap alter to woke and DEI, load it up, AND SEND IT TO INDIA.
Pure nonsense!
It would take almost ten years to build the factories able to produce all the needed products on the continent.
Apple needs to make its products in America.
The other day I heard from an American “rag trader” who tried to produce their goods in America. The result was poor quality production with wages that were too high.
She then went down the Chinese production route. The producer visited her in the US and she was invited to visit the factory unannounced…and she did just that.
The factory was clean and the workers were paid and treated well.
The tariffs she’s now paying means the profit is so small it’s not worth the effort.
“Designed in the USA”, not for much longer.
In Australia (my country) we have virtually no tariffs.
The Trump administration complained about our goods and services tax except everyone in the country pays the tax. And that includes everyone who does business with us. There are some carve outs (e.g. fruit and vegetables).
Then there’s our PBS (Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme) where we have medicines subsidized for a whole range items.
The humble Ventolin spray which is a front line asthma medicine costs under $AUS8.00. In America $US98 is the retail price. We don’t have to have insurance just a Medicare card.
I pay hospital and extras private insurance so I can go “private” but if there’s an emergency I have my own room in a public hospital because of my medical insurance.
President Trump thinks we are playing the system so they want to end the PBS system.
There are other issues at play but if US think we’re going to do away with this then they’re kidding themselves. As free traders we’ll trade with practically anyone.
When the Chinese put tariffs and other protective measures on our exports we just went elsewhere and the Chinese got the message.
So you want to put on tariffs our on our exports then bring it on we’ll just go somewhere else. Maybe we can also find other countries that are more dependable allies like the Europeans, Indians and north Asia. Oh wait a minute that’s our Plan B.
So after the US has peed off a whole number of countries what is your Plan B? What happens if the whole system doesn’t work. What are you left with…a mess?
I dumped this site for almost a year and it hasn’t changed a bit. It’s still full of one eyed self-opinionated posters who are frankly just so boring. All I want is Apple based copy and that’s it. Is it too much to ask for? I guess it’s just too hard for the moderators to clean up the site because they never do. So tasteless!
I agree with Telstar completely.
John
John I just broke my vows and posted a long contribution.
For all the other readers/posters MDN has always been like this…and that’s at least since 2004 when I started contributing. So yes, one-eyed they are but they won’t change one bit. And my protest is that I’ve blocked ALL their ads. (Rasberry sound)