President Donald Trump made it clear Wednesday he doesn’t want Apple to manufacture its products in India.
“I don’t want you building in India,” Trump reportedly told Apple CEO Tim Cook during a phone call Wednesday.
Trump unhappy with Apple’s Make in India approach
Since entering office in early 2025, Trump’s been steadily coaxing companies to increase their U.S. manufacturing presence. His tariff war with China worsened matters for companies with manufacturing facilities in the country.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the tariff war between the United States and China, Apple has diversified its supply chain to India in recent years. Apple planned to move the production of all iPhones sold in the United States to its factories in India by the end of 2026 to avoid the effect of reciprocal tariffs. To achieve this goal, the company asked its partners to build or expand their manufacturing presence in the country.
This strategy did not go down well with Trump.
“I had a little problem with Tim Cook yesterday. I said to him, ‘My friend, I treated you very good. You’re coming here with $500 billion, but now I hear you’re building all over India.” I don’t want you building in India,” Trump told the press in Qatar while discussing the United States’ trade relations with India (via CNBC).
Trump wants Apple to build products in the United States, not in India. Following his discussion with Cook, Trump said Apple will boost “their production in the United States.”
India is willing to drop import duties for U.S. products
Earlier this year, Apple announced a record $500 billion investment in the United States over the next four years. As part of this, the company will expand its manufacturing presence in the country, which will involve opening an advanced manufacturing facility in Houston to make servers for Apple Intelligence.
When the United States slapped a reciprocal tariff on countries it trades with in early April, it went relatively soft on India, only imposing a 26% tariff. While the Trump administration suspended the implementation of reciprocal tariffs, it’s only for 90 days while both countries work out a deal. Trump says the Indian government offered to drop all import duties on U.S.-made products.
