Trump Calls Out Apple CEO Tim Cook Over iPhone Manufacturing: ‘I Don’t Want You Building in India’

President Donald Trump is making headlines today, May 15, for remarks made at a business summit in Doha, Qatar, concerning Apple’s move to pivot at least some of its production and manufacturing — including operations concerning its flagship iPhone product — away from China to India. According to TechCrunch, the president’s comments follow news of Apple CEO Tim Cook indicating that the company would be importing the majority of its U.S.-bound smartphones from India, rather than China, likely to avoid Trump’s on-again, off-again tariffs on the latter nation.

“I had a little problem with Tim Cook yesterday,” Trump said, per CNBC. “I said to him, ‘my friend, I treated you very good. You’re coming here with $500 billion, but now I hear you’re building all over India.’ I don’t want you building in India.”

Trump was very likely referring to the $500 billion investment that Apple committed to earlier this year in February, as CNBC noted.

“You can build in India, if you want to take care of India because India is one of the highest tariff nations in the world,” Trump added. CNBC underscored the fact that Trump had laid reciprocal tariffs amounting to 26% on India, a rate which has now been temporarily lowered until July.

Apple Moves To Diversity iPhone Supply Chain Through India, Vietnam

With China representing about 90% of the total production and assembly share of the Apple iPhone historically, the tech giant is now moving to diversify its supply chain. The goal: To produce approximately 25% of the iPhone lineup in India in order to curtail its significant reliance on China.

As of April, Bloomberg reported, that pivot has been on target, with Apple manufacturing about one-fifth (20%) if its iPhones in India. Vietnam is also being suggested as a potential manufacturing hub for Apple’s iPhone.

Trump was resolved to deliver his message that Apple move a substantial portion of its manufacturing stateside.

“I said to Tim, I said, ‘Tim look, we treated you really good, we put up with all the plants that you build in China for years, now you [have to] build us. We’re not interested in you building in India, India can take care of themselves … we want you to build here,’” Trump concluded.

CNBC cited experts as saying that a large-scale move seeing Apple swap manufacturing back to the U.S. was unlikely, particularly due to the projected price of the end product — estimates ranging from between $1,500 to $3,000 per unit if that change were to take place.

Currently, Apple manufactures only the Mac Pro in the United States.