Trump pressures Apple to curb India expansion

Former US President Donald Trump has publicly rebuked Apple CEO Tim Cook over the company’s increasing investment in India, urging the tech giant to halt further production shifts abroad and focus on manufacturing in the United States.

Speaking at an event on Thursday, Trump voiced frustration with Apple’s plans to manufacture up to 25% of its global iPhones in India in the coming years.

“I had a little problem with Tim Cook yesterday,” Trump said. “I told him, ‘My friend, I treated you very good … but now I hear you’re building all over India. I don’t want you building in India.’”

Trump cited Apple’s earlier dependence on China and suggested that after years of benefiting from US policy, the company now has a responsibility to invest more heavily at home. He pointed to Apple’s previously announced $500 billion investment commitment in the US and claimed the company would be increasing domestic production, although he offered no concrete details.

Apple’s shift toward India is part of a broader effort to diversify its supply chain and reduce reliance on China, especially amid growing geopolitical tensions and supply chain vulnerabilities. Its primary manufacturing partner, Foxconn, has also received approval to set up a semiconductor facility in India in collaboration with the HCL Group.

Trump’s remarks came in the context of wider US-India trade tensions. While acknowledging some progress, he referred to India as “one of the highest tariff nations in the world” but noted that New Delhi had offered to waive certain tariffs as part of ongoing trade negotiations.

The Biden administration recently rolled out a new trade framework in April, including a temporary 26% “reciprocal tariff” on Indian imports, further complicating the economic relationship between the two countries.

Despite Trump’s push for onshore manufacturing, industry experts remain skeptical about large-scale iPhone production in the US, citing significantly higher labor and operational costs. Estimates suggest that building an iPhone domestically could drive unit prices up to between $1,500 and $3,500.

Apple has not yet responded to Trump’s comments.