President Donald Trump on Friday issued a stark warning to Apple, demanding the tech giant manufacture its iPhones in the United States or face a 25% tariff.
Posting on Truth Social, Trump claimed he had previously told Apple CEO Tim Cook that iPhones sold in the U.S. should be made domestically, not in India or elsewhere. If not, he wrote, “a Tariff of at least 25% must be paid by Apple to the U.S.”
Trump’s remarks followed his recent trip to the Middle East, during which he expressed frustration over Apple’s plans to produce U.S.-bound iPhones at new facilities in India. Apple has been gradually diversifying its supply chain, with CEO Tim Cook recently stating that most iPhones sold in the U.S. could soon originate from India.
Despite Trump’s pressure, experts say reshoring iPhone production is highly unrealistic. According to Wedbush Securities analyst Dan Ives, replicating Apple’s complex Asian supply chain in the U.S. could take 5–10 years and cost $30 billion — potentially tripling iPhone prices.
Trump’s threat comes despite Apple’s exemption from broader tariffs on Chinese goods and its announcement of a $500 billion investment to expand U.S. operations, including AI infrastructure and data centers.
While some Apple chips are already produced domestically through a partnership with TSMC, most manufacturing remains overseas due to cost and the availability of skilled labor.
Apple has long maintained that the U.S. lacks the engineering workforce required to support large-scale production — a point both Steve Jobs and Tim Cook had publicly emphasized.
