President Trump is continuing to wield tariffs as a club to try to force American companies to manufacture their products in the United States. On Friday morning, the president warned Apple that the government would impose a tariff of “at least 25%” on iPhones manufactured overseas.
“I have long ago informed Tim Cook of Apple that I expect their iPhone’s [sic] 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 wrote in the post. “If that is not the case, a Tariff of at least 25% must be paid by Apple to the U.S. Thank your for your attention to this matter!”
In another post Friday, Trump said he was “recommending a straight 50% Tariff on the European Union, starting on June 1, 2025,” citing the U.S.’s trade deficit with the EU.
Shares of Apple dropped more than 3% in premarket trading after Trump’s post.
Industry analysts say it’s virtually impossible that Apple (or any other consumer electronics company) could make their products entirely in the U.S. anytime soon, if ever. Even if they could, the cost of those products would be dramatically more expensive.
Trump’s pressure on Apple to build iPhones in the U.S. “would result in an iPhone price point that is a non-starter for Cupertino and translate into iPhone prices of ~$3,500 if it was made in the U.S., which is not realistic as this would take 5-10 years,” Wedbush Securities analyst Dan Ives wrote in a May 23 research note. “We believe the concept of Apple producing iPhones in the U.S. is a fairy tale that is not feasible.”
In the June quarter, CEO Tim Cook said on the company’s May 1 earnings call, Apple expects the “majority” of the iPhones sold in the U.S. to come from India, and for iPads, Macs and most other company products imported to the U.S. to be manufactured in Vietnam. China would be the country of origin for the “vast majority” of Apple’s products outside the U.S., he added.
Cook told analysts that Trump’s tariffs — if conditions remain unchanged — would add an estimated $900 million in costs for the company for the June 2025 quarter. That represents about 1% of the $88.7 billion in total revenue analysts currently expect Apple to report for the period. Cook added that Apple is unable to precisely forecast current quarter trends because “we are uncertain of potential future actions” prior to the end of the quarter.
Predicting the effects of Trump’s tariffs past June is “very difficult,” Cook said, “because I’m not sure what will happen with tariffs.”
Cook, whom Trump once mistakenly referred to as “Tim Apple,” personally donated $1 million to Trump’s inauguration fund. He also was among the CEOs who congratulated Trump after he won the 2024 U.S. presidential election. “We look forward to engaging with you and your administration to help make sure the United States continues to lead with and be fueled by ingenuity, innovation, and creativity,” Cook wrote on X on Nov. 6.
SEE ALSO: Trump Tariffs Could Hike U.S. Prices on Smartphones by 31% and Game Consoles by 69%, per Revised CTA Estimates
