Donald Trump warns Apple about ‘Make in India’, will Tim Cook-led iPhone maker listen?

US President Donald Trump doesn’t want Apple to expand manufacturing in India, but will the Tim-Cook led tech giant listen? Apple reportedly remains committed to its investment strategy in India. Apple has plans to establish a significant manufacturing presence in the country, according to government officials quoted by PTI.

Following Trump's comments about telling Apple CEO Tim Cook to reduce manufacturing operations in India, government officials engaged in discussions with representatives from the Cupertino-based technology company.

According to the PTI report, during these discussions, Apple executives confirmed to Indian government officials that their investment plans remain unchanged, with India continuing to be a crucial manufacturing destination for their products.

"Apple has said that its investment plans in India are intact and it proposes to continue to have India as a major manufacturing base for its products," the source was quoted as saying.

What did Donald Trump say to Tim Cook about India?

Earlier in the day, Trump revealed his conversation with Cook, stating he had asked Apple to increase manufacturing in the United States and not India.



"We have Apple, as you know, it's coming in. And I had a little problem with Tim Cook yesterday. I said to him, Tim, you're my friend. I treated you very well. You're coming in with $500 billion. But now I hear you're building all over India. I don't want you building in India. You can build in India if you want to take care of India," Trump said.

Trump also commented on India's high tariff structure, noting the difficulties in selling products in the Indian market.

Trump said that India proposed a zero-tariff arrangement, contrasting with previous high tariffs that he said hindered business operations. He mentioned his conversation with Tim, acknowledging Apple's past manufacturing in China whilst emphasising the need for US-based production.

Also Read | Donald Trump says India has offered a trade deal with ‘literally no tariffs’

Apple’s India Plans

A few weeks ago, Tim Cook had said that Apple plans to source most US-market iPhones from India during the June quarter, whilst Chinese facilities will produce devices for other markets, considering potential tax tariff uncertainties.

Official sources indicate that India contributes 15 per cent of global iPhone production. The manufacturing operations involve Foxconn, Tata Electronics and Pegatron India (with Tata Electronics holding majority ownership).

Additionally, Foxconn has commenced production of Apple Airpods in Telangana for export markets.

S&P Global's analysis reveals that US iPhone sales reached 75.9 million units in 2024, whilst India's exports stood at 3.1 million units in March, indicating a requirement to enhance shipments through additional capacity or reallocation of domestic market-bound deliveries.

Also Read | Tata Electronics looks to double Apple iPhones enclosures production in India to one lakh

"Apple's Indian exports already headed predominantly to the United States, which represented 81.9 per cent of phones exported by the firm in the three months to February 28, 2025. That increased to 97.6 per cent in March 2025 as a result of a 219 per cent jump in exports, likely reflecting the firm looking to preempt higher tariffs," according to the S&P Global Market Intelligence report.

In April, Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw revealed that India's iPhone exports amounted to Rs 1.5 lakh crore during fiscal year 2025.

The Apple ecosystem stands as a significant employment generator in India, with approximately 2 lakh individuals working across various vendor operations throughout the country.

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