Key Takeaways:
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Trump slammed Apple for expanding manufacturing in India, urging a shift back to the U.S.
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Apple firmly reassured India there’s no change in its $22B manufacturing commitment.
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India now produces 1 in every 5 iPhones globally Apple’s fastest-growing production hub.
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Industry experts dismiss Trump’s remarks as political noise, not a threat to India’s role.
Donald Trump’s recent remarks targeting Apple’s growing manufacturing presence in India have once again demonstrated his penchant for playing global power broker rather than statesman. Speaking at a business event in Doha, the former US President openly chided Apple CEO Tim Cook, insisting he didn’t want Apple “building in India” and declaring, “India can take care of themselves.”
While Trump often thrives on hardline rhetoric, his comments this time arrive at a crucial juncture for global supply chains and particularly for India’s emerging role in the high-tech manufacturing ecosystem. Apple, meanwhile, has been quick to dismiss any suggestion of retreat.
Sources within the Indian government confirmed that Apple has reassured New Delhi of its continued commitment to India. “There is no change in Apple’s investment plans in India,” one senior official told CNBC-TV18. This comes as Apple doubles down on its India strategy, positioning the country as a pivotal hub in its attempt to diversify away from China.
In the fiscal year ending March 2025, Apple produced iPhones worth $22 billion in India a stunning 60% increase from the previous year. One in every five iPhones globally is now assembled in India, thanks to production facilities operated by Foxconn and Tata across Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. Two more plants are in the pipeline.
Trump, characteristically blunt, couched his criticism in transactional terms: “I said to Tim, we are treating you really good… but now I hear you are building all over India. I don’t want you building in India.” He further alleged that India had offered a “no-tariff deal” to the US an assertion New Delhi has not confirmed.
If Trump’s goal was to pressure Apple into reshoring production to the United States, it’s a play that seems increasingly out of sync with the realities of modern supply chains. Apple, like most global manufacturers, is operating in a world where efficiency, scale, and geopolitical diversification are key. India offering skilled labor, rising infrastructure, and incentives makes a compelling case.
Rajoo Goel, Secretary General of the Electronic Industries Association of India (ELCINA), dismissed Trump’s comments as little more than political theater. “It may slow things down a bit, but I really don’t think it is going to impact India that much,” he said.
And he’s likely right. Despite Trump’s pressure, Apple is expanding not shrinking its presence in India. For a former president who once styled himself a “dealmaker,” Trump’s approach now resembles less a global strategist and more a power broker trying to control a game that has already moved on.
In the battle between politics and global commerce, it appears India and Apple are quietly but decisively setting the new rules.
Also Read : Trump’s 26% Tariffs on India: Decoding Sectoral Shocks, Market Turbulence, and Economic Resilience
