President Trump Said He Has A “Little Problem” With Apple CEO Tim Cook

President Trump on Thursday said he told Apple CEO Tim Cook he doesn’t want the company manufacturing its products in India.

“I had a little problem with Tim Cook yesterday,” Trump said.

“I don’t want you building in India,” he added.

WATCH:

“I told Tim Cook we’re not interested in you building (Apple) in India, they can take care of themselves, you up your production here (US),” claimed Trump. He added that India was one of the highest tariff-imposing countries & has now made an offer to reduce tariffs significantly… pic.twitter.com/11p9okfjTg

— CNBC-TV18 (@CNBCTV18News) May 15, 2025

Per CNBC:

Trump was referencing Apple’s commitment of a $500 billion investment in the U.S. which was announced in February.

Apple has been ramping up production in India with the aim of making around 25% of global iPhones in the country in the next few years, as it looks to reduce reliance on China, where around 90% of its flagship smartphone is currently assembled.

“I said to Tim, I said, ‘Tim look, we treated you really good, we put up with all the plants that you build in China for years, now you got build us. We’re not interested in you building in India, India can take care of themselves … we want you to build here,’” Trump said.

The U.S. president added that Apple is going to be “upping” its production in the United States, without disclosing further details.

U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday said he told Apple CEO Tim Cook that he doesn’t want the tech giant to build its products in India, taking shots at the company’s moves to diversify production away from China and urging him to pivot Stateside.

Read more here:… pic.twitter.com/HlVOZ6sN3w

— CNBC International (@CNBCi) May 15, 2025

From the New York Post:

Trump’s comments came after Apple’s major supplier and manufacturing partner, Foxconn, secured approval from the Indian government to build a $433 million semiconductor plant whose operations are scheduled to begin by 2027.

Cook is one of the few executives who worked to cultivate a close relationship with Trump during his first term by engaging the president directly through phone calls and dinners — a strategy that paid off when the Apple boss persuaded him to scale back tariffs that would have impacted iPhones.

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In February, Apple announced a $500 billion investment in the US economy over four years — including 20,000 new jobs and a Houston AI server plant — as it seeks to sidestep Trump-era tariffs and bolster domestic innovation.

The remarks from Trump come as Apple aims to shift more of its iPhone manufacturing to India in an effort to reduce its dependence on China, which has been the company’s primary production hub.