Trump to Apple CEO: Don’t Build Factories in India, Make Products in the U.S. Instead

Ketaan Ram Kataria

New Delhi: US President Donald Trump has urged Apple chief executive Tim Cook to halt the company’s growing manufacturing operations in India, insisting the tech giant should prioritise production within the United States.

Speaking at a business leaders’ event in Doha, Qatar, on Thursday, Trump revealed he had recently confronted Cook over Apple’s decision to assemble more iPhones in India. “I had a little problem with Tim Cook yesterday,” Trump told the gathering. “We tolerated all the plants you built in China for years. Now you have to manufacture in America. We don’t want you to manufacture in India.”

He added that Cook had been told Apple must ramp up production in the US, aligning with Trump’s “America First” economic agenda, which seeks to rebuild domestic manufacturing and bring back jobs from overseas.

Trump also claimed that India had offered the US a trade deal under which it would impose zero tariffs on American goods. “India is not ready to charge us anything in trade,” he said, while maintaining his position that Apple should resist expanding operations in India despite the offer.

The comments come as Apple continues to accelerate its shift to India as a key manufacturing hub. CEO Tim Cook recently confirmed that around 50% of iPhones sold in the US are now made in India, with the country expected to become the main source of iPhones for the US market in the April-June quarter. Cook also noted that other Apple products, such as AirPods and Apple Watch, are now largely produced in Vietnam.

Apple’s move is seen as part of a broader strategy to diversify its supply chain away from China amid mounting geopolitical tensions. India, which has positioned itself as an alternative global electronics manufacturing base, has been aggressively courting investment from global tech companies.