Trump Urges Apple to Focus Production in US

(MENAFN) During a visit to Qatar, U.S. Leader Donald Trump revealed that he recently spoke with Apple CEO Tim Cook, urging him not to expand manufacturing operations in India but instead concentrate on increasing production within the United States.

Trump mentioned that he had a "little problem" with Cook during their conversation.

The President expressed his concerns directly, saying, "Tim you're my friend, I treated you very good. You're coming here with $500 billion, but now you're building all over India."

This comment referred to Apple’s earlier announcement from February about its plan to invest USD500 billion in the United States over the upcoming four years.

Trump emphasized that he made it clear to Cook that he opposes the idea of Apple constructing production facilities in India.

He claimed that Apple would be "upping their production in the United States," signaling a push for domestic manufacturing.

The President criticized India’s high import tariffs, describing the country as having one of the most restrictive trade barriers globally.

He asserted that selling American-made products in India is "very difficult" due to these high tariffs.

Despite this, Trump noted that India has offered the U.S. a "no-tariff" arrangement as part of ongoing trade discussions.

These statements followed earlier remarks by Tim Cook, who noted that Apple would shift much of its production away from China.

Cook explained that, in the near future, most Apple products sold in the U.S. — particularly iPhones — would originate from India.

He stated, "We do expect the majority of iPhones sold in the US will have India as their country of origin."

Cook also pointed out that Vietnam would become the main production site for "almost all iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, and AirPods products sold in the US," highlighting a significant regional shift in Apple's manufacturing strategy.

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