Washington, D.C. (National Times): Former President Donald Trump has issued a strong statement to Apple CEO Tim Cook, urging the tech giant to reconsider its manufacturing investments in India. Speaking at a business event in Doha, Trump expressed disapproval of Apple’s expansion plans in South Asia.
“I told Tim, I’ve supported you all along, but I don’t want to see Apple growing its factories in India,” Trump told attendees. He emphasized his preference for Apple to ramp up its U.S.-based operations instead. “India’s one of the toughest places to do business in terms of tariffs. They say they’ll drop them, but I haven’t seen it on paper.”
Trump’s comments come as Apple is steadily shifting production out of China and into India, driven by geopolitical tensions and the need to minimize trade risks. Reports suggest that Apple aims for a significant share of iPhones sold in the U.S. to be made in India within the next few years.
India has emerged as a key manufacturing hub for Apple. Currently, the company operates three major plants across Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, with two more facilities in development. These centers are managed by Foxconn and the Tata Group. In the past fiscal year, Apple assembled devices worth $22 billion in India—a dramatic increase that highlights the country’s growing importance in Apple’s supply chain.
Despite the strategic reasons behind Apple’s expansion into India, Trump remained firm in his stance. “India can take care of itself,” he said. “We gave Apple room to grow here in the U.S., and we want them to invest more back home.”
As Apple navigates its global supply strategy, Trump’s remarks could signal renewed political pressure on American firms to prioritize domestic production, especially as trade policies evolve in a post-COVID, post-China-dominant era.
