US President Trump demanded that Apple produce iPhones in the US or face at least a 25% tariff.
In a post on his social media platform, Truth Social, Trump stated that he had previously told Apple’s Tim Cook that he wanted iPhones sold in the US to be manufactured and produced in the country, not in India or elsewhere.
“If not, Apple must pay at least a 25% tariff,” the President said. Trump had expressed dissatisfaction with Apple’s CEO Cook during his visit to the Middle East, as the company planned to produce iPhones to be sold in the US at a newly built factory in India.
“I have a bit of an issue with Tim Cook,” the President said during his visit to Qatar. “I told him, ‘Tim, you are my friend. I treat you very well. You brought in $500 billion. But now I hear you are building factories all over India. I don’t want you to build factories in India.'”
A US government official told CNN that Cook met with Trump again at the White House on Tuesday, but did not disclose the topic of the meeting. Cook had announced on May 1 that Apple is shifting production of most iPhones and other devices sold in the US out of China, with India and Vietnam being the primary beneficiaries.
The Apple CEO explained at the time that in the coming months, most iPhones sold in the US market would be produced in India, while Vietnam would become the main manufacturing center for products such as iPads, Macs, Apple Watches, and AirPods exported to the US.