Trump Urges Apple to Manufacture in US instead of India

US President Donald Trump said on Thursday that he had urged Apple to manufacture its products in the United States instead of India, where the company plans to move some of its operations following the US tariffs on China.

"I had a little problem with Tim Cook," Trump said during a multi-day tour of the Gulf region, referring to Apple CEO Tim Cook. He added, "I said to him, 'Tim, we've treated you very well for years. We let you build your factories in China, and now we want you to make them here, in the United States, not in India.'"

Trump continued that Cook told him the company would increase its production in the US, stressing that "that would be a great thing."

This comes after Washington and Beijing announced on Monday that they had reached an agreement to suspend mutual tariffs for 90 days, a move aimed at calming trade tensions that have rocked financial markets and raised fears of a global economic recession.

Tim Cook had previously stated that Apple was unable to estimate the precise impact of these tariffs. During his first-quarter earnings announcement, he explained that "the vast majority of iPhones sold in the United States will originate in India."

Cook indicated that the 145% US tariff on Chinese products, despite a temporary exemption for some electronic devices such as smartphones and computers, could have an unclear impact on the company, especially since some Apple components remain subject to these tariffs.

Cook revealed that the company expects the cost of US tariffs to reach $900 million during this quarter, although their impact was "limited" at the beginning of this year. In a related development, India, which has also been hit by US tariffs, has threatened retaliatory measures following the increases imposed on steel and aluminum.

 Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar said on Thursday that trade negotiations with Washington are still ongoing, stressing that any agreement must be mutually beneficial.

Apple announced last February that it would invest more than $500 billion in the United States over the next four years and plans to employ 20,000 people in the country.

Trump concluded his remarks from Doha by saying, "Apple is already committed to investing $500 billion, but they will increase their production even more, and that is a great thing."