“I have long ago informed Tim Cook of Apple that I expect their iPhone’s that will be sold in the United States of America will be manufactured and built in the United States, not India, or anyplace else,” Trump wrote in one post. “If that is not the case, a tariff of at least 25% must be paid by Apple to the U.S.”
Apple did not immediately reply to PYMNTS’ request for comment.
The company and other smartphone manufacturers have increased the share of U.S.-bound product shipments from India to avoid tariffs placed on imports from China, Counterpoint Technology Market Research said May 14. India’s share of U.S.-bound shipments of smartphones rose from 16% in the first quarter of 2024 to 26% in the first quarter of 2025.
It was reported April 25 that in response to new tariffs on China, Apple plans to get all its U.S.-bound iPhones from India by the end of 2026.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told Fox News Friday that Trump aims to bring precision manufacturing back to the U.S. and that external production of semiconductors creates a vulnerability for the country.
“So, we would like to have Apple help us make the semiconductor supply chain more secure,” Bessent told Fox News in a video shared on social platform X by the White House’s Rapid Response 47 account.
In another Friday post on Truth Social, Trump wrote that the European Union has been “very difficult to deal with” and that its trade barriers, VAT taxes, corporate penalties, non-monetary trade barriers, monetary manipulations and lawsuits against American companies have led to a “totally unacceptable” trade deficit.
“Our discussions with them are going nowhere,” Trump wrote in the post. “Therefore, I am recommending a straight 50% Tariff on the European Union, starting on June 1, 2025.”
Reuters reported that the European Commission “sought clarity” from the U.S. after Trump’s announcement and that commission trade representatives are scheduled to talk with their U.S. counterparts Friday.
The EU already faces 25% tariffs on some goods and 10% on almost all the rest, according to the report.
