US President Donald Trump has warned of a 25 percent tariff on Apple and other smartphone manufacturers unless their devices are produced on American soil. Initially singling out Apple, Trump later broadened the proposed trade measure to cover all handset makers, including rivals such as Samsung.
In remarks to journalists in Washington on Friday, Trump said the tariffs could be introduced by the end of June. “It would be also Samsung and anybody that makes that product, otherwise it wouldn’t be fair,” he declared.
Although Apple is headquartered in California and designs its products domestically, the vast majority of iPhones are assembled in China. Through ongoing US-China trade tensions, Apple has begun relocating some manufacturing to other countries like India. However, Trump insisted this move fell short of his expectations.
Posting on his social media platform, Truth Social, Trump reiterated his longstanding position. “I told Tim Cook a long time ago — iPhones sold in the United States should be made in the United States, not in India or anywhere else,” he wrote. “If that’s not the case, Apple must pay at least a 25 percent tariff.”
Trump reportedly repeated this stance during a recent visit to Qatar, stating he had clashed with Apple’s CEO over the company’s overseas production. “We’re not interested in you building in India,” he recalled telling Cook. “We want you to build here.”
Samsung, Apple’s closest competitor, also relies heavily on offshore facilities, with its phones predominantly manufactured in Vietnam, China, and India. Together, Apple and Samsung dominate the US smartphone market, making up roughly 80 percent of domestic sales. Other brands such as Google, Xiaomi and Motorola also manufacture most of their devices abroad.
Industry experts have expressed scepticism over the feasibility of Trump’s demand. According to Wedbush Securities, approximately 90 percent of iPhone production and assembly still occurs in China. Analyst Dan Ives described the idea of relocating iPhone manufacturing to the US as “a fairy tale” and logistically unworkable.
Trump’s renewed pressure on Apple has already impacted the tech giant’s financial standing. Since the beginning of his current campaign, the company’s shares have dropped by over 20 percent. On Friday alone, the stock fell by 3 percent on the New York Stock Exchange.
Unlike Trump’s previous term, during which Apple received exemptions from some tariffs, the company now appears to be a more frequent target of his protectionist rhetoric. Last month, Apple CEO Tim Cook warned that additional tariffs on Chinese imports could cost the company $900 million in the current financial quarter.
Cook added that US duties on some Chinese goods had at one point surged to 145 percent, though smartphones had received temporary relief.
Analysts suggest higher tariffs would inevitably lead to more expensive iPhones. “Loyal fans may still be willing to pay premium prices,” noted Susannah Streeter from Hargreaves Lansdown, “but middle-class consumers already feeling the pinch from inflation will struggle.”
Just last week, the US and China agreed to a 90-day suspension of sweeping tariffs, temporarily easing tensions in the protracted trade dispute.
