“Build iPhones in US or Pay 25% Tariff,”—Trump Warns Apple

US President Donald Trump has issued a fresh warning to Apple Inc., threatening to impose a 25% tariff on iPhones sold in the United States if they are not manufactured within the country.

In a post on his social media platform, Truth Social, Trump stated: “I long ago informed Tim Cook of Apple that I expect their iPhones sold in the United States of America to 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 U.S.”

This latest threat amplifies Trump’s longstanding protectionist stance on American manufacturing and signals renewed pressure on tech giants to shift production away from overseas factories, particularly in India and China.

Speaking during a recent visit to Qatar on May 15, Trump revealed tensions with Apple CEO Tim Cook, stating, “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.”

Apple, for its part, has already acknowledged the shifting terrain. During the company’s Q1 earnings call in early May, Cook disclosed that a majority of iPhones sold in the U.S. would soon originate from India, underscoring the company’s diversification away from China amid ongoing tariff threats and geopolitical instability.

Though finished smartphones are temporarily exempt from the steep tariffs targeting Chinese goods, many of their internal components are not. Apple estimates U.S. tariffs will cost the company roughly $900 million this quarter alone, despite what it described as a “limited” impact earlier in the year.

Trump’s comments reflect his continued influence on U.S. trade discourse and place Apple, and other American tech firms reliant on global supply chains, squarely in the crosshairs of protectionist policy.

More details are expected as reactions from Apple and the U.S. Trade Representative emerge.