Trump Slams Apple Over India Manufacturing Move

Trump’s Frustration With Tim Cook Signals Renewed Push to Bring Apple Manufacturing Back to U.S.

 

 

At a high-profile business forum in Doha, former President Donald Trump reignited his campaign to restore America’s manufacturing dominance—this time by taking direct aim at Apple CEO Tim Cook. Trump, speaking in his signature style of blunt nationalism, said he had a "little problem" with Cook's decision to deepen Apple’s production ties with India, a move Trump sees as running counter to the spirit of his “Make America Great Again” (MAGA) manufacturing doctrine.

The former president disclosed that he personally urged Cook not to expand manufacturing in India, arguing that Apple should build for American consumers in America. According to Trump, Apple could manufacture in India if it was strictly to serve Indian markets—but not at the cost of jobs or industrial output on U.S. soil.

“I told Tim, I don’t want you building in India for us. That’s not what we’re about,” Trump said. He went on to stress that India, despite being an important strategic partner, remains a protectionist market with some of the highest tariff walls globally. “It’s very hard to sell in India,” he noted, pointing out the long-standing asymmetry in market access between the two democracies.

What makes Trump’s remarks more pointed is the context: he claimed, without confirmation from Indian officials, that New Delhi recently offered Washington a “no-tariff deal” on American goods—an overture that Trump says underscores India’s desire to accommodate U.S. trade demands. Still, he appeared skeptical of India’s sincerity and emphasized that favorable trade terms must translate into American industrial revival—not just overseas profit for U.S. corporations.

Trump’s message comes as Apple aggressively shifts supply chains out of China, driven by geopolitics, tariffs, and the company’s desire for diversification. India has emerged as a major beneficiary of this pivot. In the fiscal year ending March, Apple assembled iPhones worth $22 billion in India—a 60% surge over the previous year—with three operational plants and more underway through partnerships with Foxconn and Tata.

But for Trump, the numbers only reinforce a deeper concern: U.S. multinationals have become too comfortable building their empires offshore, even when the domestic climate for advanced manufacturing is more favorable than it’s been in decades.

With the 2024 campaign trail heating up and “economic patriotism” once again at the heart of his pitch, Trump is making it clear—Apple, and companies like it, will be expected to put “America First,” not just in rhetoric, but in production lines.