New Delhi [India] – US President Donald Trump on Friday renewed his criticism of Apple Inc.’s expanding manufacturing footprint in India, warning the tech giant of a hefty 25% import tariff on iPhones not produced within the United States.
Taking to his social media platform Truth Social, Trump reiterated his stance against Apple’s overseas production, specifically targeting the company’s growing operations in India.
“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.
“If that is not the case, a Tariff of at least 25% must be paid by Apple to the U.S. Thank your for your attention to this matter,” he added.
This statement comes shortly after Trump, speaking in Doha on May 15, disclosed that he had urged Apple CEO Tim Cook to curtail the company’s manufacturing expansion in India.
Apple has been steadily increasing its production in India, with three major assembly plants—two in Tamil Nadu and one in Karnataka—now operational. These facilities are managed by key manufacturing partners, including Foxconn and Tata Group.
In the fiscal year ending March 2025, Apple produced iPhones worth $22 billion in India, marking a significant 60% increase from the previous year. Approximately 40–45 million iPhones were manufactured in India in 2024, accounting for around 18–20% of Apple’s global production. Of these, roughly 15 million were exported to the US, 13 million to other global markets, and 12 million sold domestically in India.
Apple also continues to set revenue records in India, achieving its 11th consecutive quarterly high in January 2025. The company recorded an estimated $10 billion in iPhone sales in the country for 2024, solidifying India as Apple’s fourth-largest market after the US, China, and Japan.
In response to escalating trade tensions and retaliatory tariffs between the US and China, Apple has strategically decided to shift all iPhone production intended for the US market from China to India, further boosting the country’s role as a key manufacturing hub in Apple’s global supply chain.