WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump on Friday threatened Apple with a 25 percent tariff if the iPhones are not manufactured in the United States.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump said he had “long ago informed Tim Cook of Apple that I expect their iPhones that will be sold in the United States of America will be manufactured and built in the United States, not India, or anyplace else.”
“If that is not the case, a Tariff of at least 25% must be paid by Apple to the US,” he added.
Trump’s broad tariffs on key US trading partners have disrupted global markets and unsettled international trade.
His remarks on Friday echoed sentiments he expressed during a recent visit to Qatar, where he called on Apple to move iPhone production to the United States.
“I had a little problem with Tim Cook,” Trump said on May 15.
“We’re not interested in you building in India… we want you to build here and they’re going to be upping their production in the United States,” President Trump said he told Apple chief executive Cook.
Cook, while presenting the tech company’s first-quarter profits in early May, said he expected “a majority of iPhones sold in the US will have India as their country of origin”.
Meanwhile, Trump in another social post said the European Union, which was formed for the primary purpose of taking advantage of the United States on trade, has been very difficult to deal with.
“Their powerful Trade Barriers, Vat Taxes, ridiculous Corporate Penalties, Non-Monetary Trade Barriers, Monetary Manipulations, unfair and unjustified lawsuits against Americans Companies, and more, have led to a Trade Deficit with the US of more than $250,000,000 a year, a number which is totally unacceptable,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social.
“Our discussions with them are going nowhere! Therefore, I am recommending a straight 50% Tariff on the European Union, starting on June 1, 2025. There is no Tariff if the product is built or manufactured in the United States. Thank you for your attention to this matter!,” he said.
