Donald Trump Opposes Apple’s India Manufacturing Push

United States President Donald Trump has expressed strong dissatisfaction over Apple’s plans to expand manufacturing operations in India. Trump revealed that he had personally conveyed his disapproval to Apple Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook, advising against promoting manufacturing activities in India. He made it clear that he prefers Apple products to be manufactured exclusively in the United States.

Speaking at an event in Qatar, Trump stated, “Yesterday, I had a little problem with Tim Cook. You are building massive plants in India. I told him not to do that,” as reported by Bloomberg. He further commented that India is one of the highest tariff-imposing countries in the world, making it very difficult to sell American products there. Trump said he hoped that following their discussions, Apple would increase its manufacturing operations within the United States.

Due to U.S.-imposed tariffs on China and ongoing diplomatic tensions, Apple has been shifting its manufacturing operations away from China to other countries, particularly India. In the financial year ending March, Apple manufactured iPhones worth nearly 22 billion U.S. dollars in India, which marks an increase of approximately 60 percent compared to the previous year. Apple has set a target for the majority of iPhones exported to the United States by the end of 2025 to originate from India.