U.S. President Donald Trump has threatened Apple with an import tariff of 25 per cent on iPhones sold but not manufactured in the United States.
“I have long ago informed (chief executive) Tim Cook of Apple this,” he wrote on his Truth Social platform on Friday. “I expect their iPhones that will be sold in the United States of America will 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 per cent must be paid by Apple to the U.S.,” he added.
Mr Trump has long demanded that Apple build the iPhone, its most important product in the U.S.
Experts argue that this would require huge investments and make smartphones drastically more expensive.
Under Mr Cook’s leadership, Apple has built up supply chains in Asia over the last few decades with large factories, mainly in China.
The company has also stepped up production in India and Vietnam in recent years, partly in response to supply bottlenecks following the coronavirus lockdowns in China.
