Trump Warns Apple, Samsung Over Offshore Manufacturing

By siliconindia  |  Saturday, 24 May 2025, 08:55:57 AM IST

Trump Warns Apple, Samsung Over Offshore Manufacturing
  • Former U.S. President Donald Trump has threatened to impose a 25% import tariff on all smartphones not manufactured in the United States.
  • The warning specifically targets major companies like Apple and Samsung, both of which currently produce most of their devices outside the U.S.
  • Trump reiterated his expectation that iPhones sold in the U.S. must be manufactured domestically, not in India or any other country.
In a new wave of protectionist rhetoric, former U.S. President Donald Trump has warned that smartphones manufactured outside the United States including Apple’s iPhones and Samsung devices could soon face a 25% import tax unless companies move production to American soil.
Speaking from the Oval Office, Trump stated that the proposed tariffs wouldn’t apply only to Apple. “It would be more. It would be also Samsung and anybody that makes that product. Otherwise, it wouldn’t be fair. When they build their plant here, there is no tariff”, he asserted.
The remarks signal a potential policy shift, as Trump emphasized that U.S.-based manufacturing is the only way companies can avoid hefty levies. “I have long ago informed Tim Cook of Apple that I expect their iPhones 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 said in a Friday morning post on social media.
“If that is not the case, a tariff of at least 25% must be paid by Apple to the U.S.”, he added.
The comments follow a recent meeting between Trump and Apple CEO Tim Cook. According to Trump, he was disappointed with Cook’s plan to shift more production to India. “I had an understanding with Tim that he wouldn’t be doing this”, Trump said. “He said he’s going to India to build plants. I said, ‘that’s OK to go to India, but you’re not going to sell into here without tariffs”.
While Trump has long promoted bringing manufacturing back to the U.S., his latest statements mark a shift from earlier rhetoric, where he claimed other countries would absorb tariff costs. Now, he insists companies like Apple would bear the financial burden a cost that could ultimately be passed on to American consumers in the form of higher prices.
Trump’s latest stance also brings Samsung into the spotlight. Although a South Korean company, Samsung has largely escaped previous scrutiny due to its limited U.S. presence in smartphone manufacturing. Trump’s remarks suggest that may now change.
Moving smartphone production to the U.S., however, poses serious logistical and financial challenges. The country currently lacks the infrastructure for large-scale smartphone assembly, and building such facilities would require significant investment and time.
Apple has increasingly looked to India as a key manufacturing hub, particularly as tensions between the U.S. and China escalate. The company produced $22 billion worth of iPhones in India in the last financial year a 60% increase from the previous year, according to a recent Reuters report. India has rapidly become one of Apple’s top production centers as it diversifies its supply chain.
Trump recently voiced frustration over Apple’s overseas expansion. While speaking in Qatar, he said he had a 'little problem' with Tim Cook over the company’s decision to grow operations outside the U.S. “He is building all over India. I don’t want you building in India”, Trump said, though he also noted that Apple would be 'upping their production in the United States'.
As Apple and other tech giants balance the need for global supply chain flexibility with mounting political pressure at home, the threat of sweeping tariffs could once again disrupt the landscape of smartphone manufacturing and international trade.

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