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President Trump says he told Apple CEO Tim Cook to scale back plans to produce iPhones in India and instead re-shore manufacturing back to the US — a demand that could complicate the company’s global supply chain strategy.
“I had a little problem with Tim Cook yesterday,” Trump said during a state visit to Qatar, referencing his conversation with the Apple chief.
“He is building all over India. I don’t want you building in India.”
Trump added that following his discussion with Cook, “Apple will be upping their production in the United States.”
Apple representatives did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Trump’s comments came after Apple’s major supplier and manufacturing partner, Foxconn, secured approval from the Indian government to build a $433 million semiconductor plant whose operations are scheduled to begin by 2027.
Cook is one of the few executives who worked to cultivate a close relationship with Trump during his first term by engaging the president directly through phone calls and dinners — a strategy that paid off when the Apple boss persuaded him to scale back tariffs that would have impacted iPhones.
In February, Apple announced a $500 billion investment in the US economy over four years — including 20,000 new jobs and a Houston AI server plant — as it seeks to sidestep Trump-era tariffs and bolster domestic innovation.
The remarks from Trump come as Apple aims to shift more of its iPhone manufacturing to India in an effort to reduce its dependence on China, which has been the company’s primary production hub.
According to Bloomberg, Apple is planning to produce the majority of the iPhones sold in the US from India by the end of 2026.
That strategy is designed to mitigate geopolitical risks and avoid potential trade disruptions stemming from US-China tensions.
However, producing iPhones in the US would be a monumental challenge for the Cupertino-based company.
Most of Apple’s supply chain, as well as the skilled labor force required for precision assembly, is currently concentrated in Asia.
The company has no smartphone production facilities in the US, though it has pledged to invest $500 billion domestically over the next four years and expand hiring.
“This is a familiar Trump tactic: He wants to push Apple to localize more and build a supply chain in the US, which is not going to happen overnight,” Tarun Pathak, research director at tech analysis firm Counterpoint, told Bloomberg.
“Making in the US will also be much more expensive than assembling iPhones in India.”
India has emerged as a key market and manufacturing base for Apple.
The company assembled $22 billion worth of iPhones in the country in the 12 months through March, marking a 60% increase in output compared to the prior year.
About 20% of Apple’s global iPhone production — over 40 million units — is now made in India, primarily at facilities run by Foxconn Technology Group and Tata Group’s electronics arm.
Trump’s comments suggested he would accept Apple producing devices in India for the local market but not for export to the US.
“You can build in India if you want, to take care of India,” he said.
The former president also said India had offered to reduce its steep import tariffs on American goods, part of ongoing trade discussions between the two countries.
“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.
Whether Apple will heed Trump’s call to shift more manufacturing to the US remains to be seen.
Analysts say the complexities of Apple’s supply chain — years in the making — make such a transition costly and slow.
“To disrupt that or to completely move out of India or China will be extremely difficult,” Pathak said.
English (US)