US President Donald Trump has once again pressured technology company Apple to produce iPhones for the American market in the United States going forward. During an appearance in Qatar, Trump said he had a conversation with Apple CEO Tim Cook in which he expressed his dissatisfaction with the company’s current production strategy. Although Cook announced investments totaling 500 billion dollars in the US, Apple continues to manufacture devices “all across India.” Trump emphasized that he does not want Apple to produce in India except for the Indian market.
The president’s demands come against the backdrop of Apple restructuring its supply chains. Due to Trump’s tariff policies, the company began sourcing the majority of iPhones destined for the US market from India. Other Apple products such as iPads, Mac computers, and Apple Watches are currently planned to be almost exclusively shipped to the United States from Vietnam. These countries benefit from lower import tariffs compared to China.
Under Tim Cook’s leadership, Apple built extensive production capacities in Asia over the past decades, especially in China. However, in recent years, the company began shifting production more toward India and Vietnam. A key trigger for this was supply shortages caused by Covid lockdowns in China, which forced Apple to find alternative production sites.
The Trump administration has repeatedly emphasized its goal of relocating iPhone production to the US. Trade Secretary Howard Lutnick stated that Cook had assured him that Apple would establish manufacturing in the United States once technologically advanced robotic arms were available in sufficient numbers. Experts, however, express serious doubts about the feasibility of this plan. Implementing it would require massive investments and, according to experts, would lead to significantly higher prices for consumers. Critics of the demands therefore fear a sharp price increase in the US market.
