Trump’s comments come at a time when Apple has rapidly expanded its manufacturing footprint in India…reports Asian Lite News
US President Donald Trump has publicly urged Apple CEO Tim Cook to scale back the company’s growing investment in India, raising concerns over the tech giant’s deepening ties with one of America’s major tariff partners.
Speaking at a press conference in Doha on Thursday, Trump said he had personally spoken with Cook about Apple’s decision to ramp up iPhone production in India—a move he believes undermines American interests.
“I had a little problem with Tim Cook yesterday,” Trump said. “I told him, ‘My friend, I’m treating you very well. You’re bringing in $500 billion, but now I hear you’re building all over India.’ I don’t want that. You can build in India if you’re looking after India, because India is one of the highest tariff nations in the world, and it’s very hard to sell in India.”
Trump’s comments come at a time when Apple has rapidly expanded its manufacturing footprint in India, setting up assembly plants in Tamil Nadu and Karnataka through contracts with key suppliers like Foxconn and Tata Group. In the fiscal year ending March 2025, Apple produced iPhones worth $22 billion in India—marking a 60% increase from the previous year.
Estimates suggest Apple assembled around 40 to 45 million iPhones in India in 2024, accounting for roughly 18–20% of its global production. Of this, 15 million were shipped to the United States, 13 million to other international markets, and about 12 million sold locally in India.
The move is part of Apple’s broader strategy to reduce its dependence on China amid growing geopolitical and trade tensions. In January, the company announced plans to shift all iPhone production for the US market from China to India, in response to escalating tariffs imposed by both Washington and Beijing.
Since then, the US and China have reached a temporary truce, agreeing to roll back their reciprocal tariffs by 115% for an initial 90-day period. Under the revised structure, China is now levying a 10% duty on US imports, while the US has brought down tariffs on Chinese goods to around 30%.
Apple’s India push has delivered strong results. The company posted its 11th consecutive quarterly revenue record in India earlier this year, with 2024 iPhone sales estimated at $10 billion. India has now become Apple’s fourth-largest market globally, after the US, China, and Japan.
While Apple has not responded publicly to Trump’s remarks, industry analysts say the president’s concerns are likely rooted in political optics rather than long-term trade policy, as the US continues to weigh its economic relationship with India ahead of the 2025 presidential election.
