During a recent GOP presidential primary meeting, former President Donald Trump called on Apple CEO Tim Cook to halt further iPhone production in India. He didn’t stop there—instead, he asked Apple to increase its US manufacturing production. This conversation comes as Apple announces plans to import iPhones manufactured in India to cater to a significant portion of demand in the U.S. market.
The entirety of the convening Trump and Cook focused on the latter’s innovative investment plan. Apple revealed its plans to invest $500 billion over the next four years to bolster its manufacturing presence in the U.S. This investment will build new facilities and bring on more than 20,000 new staff. Additionally, it will form a manufacturing academy to train the region’s future smart manufacturing workforce.
Trump expressed his concerns directly to Cook, stating, “I said to him, ‘Tim, you’re my friend, I’ve treated you very good. You’re coming up with $500 billion, but now I hear you are building all over India. I don’t want you building in India. You can build in India if you want to take care of India because India is one of the highest tariff nations in the world.’”
Meanwhile, Apple continues to move aggressively ahead with its plans in India, as Trump has asked. The firm plans to establish new specialty factories to reduce its reliance on China. In July, India approved a $435 million project from Foxconn. This decision will increase domestic production of Apple chips and further solidify Apple’s efforts to ramp up production in India.
Trump’s mercurial and destructive tariff policies continue to rock America’s economy, with real consequences. In fact, these tariffs have increased Apple’s costs by an estimated $900 million just in the third-quarter alone. As one of the highest tariff nations globally, India’s regulatory environment presents challenges for companies like Apple looking to balance production costs with global demand.
While Trump’s administration emphasized the importance of U.S. manufacturing, Apple’s strategy appears focused on leveraging India’s manufacturing capabilities to meet rising demand stateside. The company’s long-term plans call for dramatically increasing production in India while at the same time making massive investments in its American facilities.
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