“Stop Building in India,” Trump Tells Apple CEO Tim Cook

Doha/Washington: In a strongly-worded statement at a business event in Doha, former U.S. President Donald Trump criticized Apple’s plans to expand manufacturing in India, telling Apple CEO Tim Cook that he does not want the company “building in India” and asserting that “India can take care of themselves.”

Trump said he had a “little problem” with the Apple chief, adding, “I said to him, my friend, I am treating you very good. You are coming up with $500 billion, but now I hear you are building all over India. I don’t want you building in India.”

The former President’s comments come at a time when Apple is significantly ramping up its production footprint in India, aiming to shift some of its manufacturing operations away from China amid global trade tensions and U.S. tariff pressures.

“India is one of the highest tariff nations in the world, so it is very hard to sell in India,” Trump remarked. He further claimed that New Delhi had offered a deal to the U.S. waiving tariffs on American goods, although no such announcement has been made by the Indian government.

“They (India) offered us a deal where basically they have agreed to charge us literally no tariffs,” Trump said. “I said Tim, we are treating you really good, we put up with all the plants you built in China for years. We are not interested in you building in India.”

Trump’s remarks follow reports that Apple CEO Tim Cook expects a significant increase in iPhone production in India. According to a recent AFP report, Cook stated that “a majority of iPhones sold in the U.S. will have India as their country of origin” in the near future.

Currently, Apple operates three manufacturing plants in India—two in Tamil Nadu and one in Karnataka. These units are managed by Foxconn and Tata Group, with two additional plants in the pipeline, signaling Apple’s commitment to diversify its global manufacturing base.

Trump’s comments reflect ongoing concerns within the U.S. over outsourcing and foreign manufacturing, particularly as American tech giants face pressure to boost domestic production and reduce dependence on China.

Apple has yet to respond publicly to Trump’s latest remarks.