Trump threatens Apple with 25% iPhone tariff

Whereas it appeared for some time that Apple may escape the lengthy arm of the tariff for at the very least some time, President Trump on Friday escalated his struggle in opposition to abroad manufacturing by concentrating on Apple and solely Apple. In a submit to his Reality Social account, Trump threatened Apple with an alarming 25 % tariff if it doesn’t shift manufacturing of the iPhone to the U.S.

The tirade comes simply weeks earlier than Apple goes to carry its annual WWDC keynote, and as manufacturing is nearing for the iPhone 17, resulting from launch in September.

“I’ve way back knowledgeable Tim Cook dinner of Apple that I count on their iPhones that will likely be bought in the USA of America will likely be manufactured and in-built the USA, not India, or anyplace else,” Trump wrote. “If that’s not the case, a Tariff of at the very least 25% should be paid by Apple to the U.S. Thank your [sic] to your consideration to this matter!”

Following a visit to the Center East the place Trump was showered with reward and gifted a luxurious jet, Trump mentioned he had instructed Tim Cook dinner, “I don’t need you constructing in India.” Apple is shifting manufacturing to India to scale back its dependency on China, which obtained the brunt of Trump’s tariff ire. The shift to India is anticipated to maneuver all U.S.-bound iPhones away from China by the tip of 2026.

Cook dinner has repeatedly mentioned the U.S. doesn’t have sufficient expert labor to construct the iPhone. As he defined in 2017, iPhones “require actually superior tooling, and the precision that you must have in tooling and dealing with the supplies we do is state-of-the-art… And the tooling ability may be very deep [in China].”

Apple makes only a few merchandise within the U.S., however earlier this yr introduced a $500 billion funding in its house nation. Nevertheless, whereas that funding will yield a brand new U.S. manufacturing unit in Houston, it is going to “produce servers that assist Apple Intelligence, the private intelligence system that helps customers write, categorical themselves, and get issues completed,” relatively than client merchandise.

Apple has not responded to Trump’s screed. It’s not clear why Trump didn’t embrace Google, which additionally manufactures its Pixel telephones in China and India, within the calls for.

Apple is anticipated to launch 4 new iPhones in September, together with a brand new ultra-thin mannequin, the iPhone 17 Air. Moreover, it reportedly has a number of new fashions on track for 2026 and 2027, together with its first folding cellphone and a curved, all-glass twentieth anniversary mannequin.