According to reports by the South China Morning Post and Bloomberg, on May 23rd local time, US President Donald Trump turned his attention to Apple Inc., warning that a 25% tariff would be imposed on iPhones produced outside the United States. He also stated that similar companies, including Samsung, would also be subject to tariffs. Trump made the remarks on social media that day: "I have informed Apple CEO Tim Cook that I hope iPhones sold in the United States are manufactured and produced in the U.S., not in India or any other place. If this is not the case, Apple must pay at least a 25% tariff to the U.S." When asked whether this tariff threat was only aimed at Apple, Trump responded: "The scope will be broader. Samsung and any company producing such products will be included, otherwise it wouldn't be fair." Trump added that relevant tax measures would be "appropriately implemented" and ready for execution before the end of June, but did not provide further details. After the news broke, European stocks fell across the board that day, with the S&P 500 closing down 0.67%, and Apple's stock price dropping 3.02%. It was reported that out of more than 60 million iPhones sold annually in the U.S., an estimated 80% to 90% are manufactured in China, with the remainder produced in India and Vietnam. Apple aims to have most of the iPhones sold in the U.S. produced in its factories in India by the end of 2026. The company is accelerating this plan to cope with potential higher tariffs from the U.S. on China. The company said that starting from the second quarter this year, the majority of iPhones shipped to the U.S. will come from India, part of its overall strategy to avoid tensions between China and the U.S. [Image: https://p3-sign.toutiaoimg.com/tos-cn-i-axegupay5k/aa75ee9cda4246d1b1c81bd989e7cbcd~tplv-tt-origin-web:gif.jpeg?_iz=58558&from=article.pc_detail&lk3s=953192f4&x-expires=1748665991&x-signature=PDf0Gixgq6BGsDKnMJ3W6pH9YVU%3D] On September 9th, 2024, in California, USA, Apple's autumn new product release event was held. The iPhone 16 series was unveiled. IC photo According to a report by CNBC on the 15th, when meeting with business executives in Doha, Qatar that day, Trump said he had clearly told Apple CEO Tim Cook that he did not want this American tech giant to produce products in India. He also criticized Apple's practice of dispersing production lines from China to other regions and urged it to focus production on the U.S. mainland. "Yesterday, Tim Cook and I had a bit of a disagreement," Trump said. "I told him, 'My friend, I haven't treated you badly. You brought $500 billion in investment here (the U.S.), but now I hear that you're expanding factories all over India. I don't want you building factories in India.' " He then said, "I told Tim, 'Look, we've been good to you, allowing you to build so many factories in China over the years. Now it's time to produce for us Americans. We're not interested in your factories in India... Indians can take care of themselves... We want you to build factories in the U.S.'" According to Trump, the outcome of this conversation was that Apple would "increase production in the U.S." However, he did not reveal more specific details. According to CNBC, Apple only produces a very small number of products in the U.S., such as the Mac Pro computer. In February this year, the company announced a $500 billion investment plan in the U.S., mainly focusing on artificial intelligence, advanced manufacturing, and domestic supply chain construction, including building new servers specifically for its artificial intelligence system, "Apple Intelligence," in Texas. The iPhone is Apple's largest revenue-generating product, with the U.S. market firmly holding its position as its largest regional market. However, Apple does not have smartphone production lines in the U.S. After years of diversified production base layout, 90% of its flagship iPhone models are still assembled in China. The Trump administration has repeatedly urged Apple to move iPhone production from China back to the U.S. Commerce Secretary Raimondo even envisioned a scene where millions of workers in the U.S. would assemble iPhones. However, many industry experts have warned that moving iPhone assembly work to the U.S. is "impractical and costly," with the cost of domestically produced iPhones in the U.S. expected to increase by at least three times. This article is an exclusive contribution from Observer Network and cannot be reproduced without permission. Original source: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7507843727856878143/ Disclaimer: This article solely represents the author's views, and you are welcome to express your opinions by clicking the [Upvote/Downvote] buttons below.