Apple, Samsung or … Phones made outside U.S. will be taxed: Trump

A day after warning Apple that iPhones if manufactured elsewhere and imported to the United States will be taxed, Donald Trump said the condition applies to all phone manufacturers be it Samsung or anyone

Washington: A day after warning Apple that iPhones if manufactured elsewhere and imported to the United States will be taxed, Donald Trump said the condition applies to all phone manufacturers be it Samsung or anyone.

Speaking to reporters in the White House Friday, the U.S. President said the tariff would apply to any phone manufacturer selling devices in the U.S.

Trump said that Apple and other tech companies must relocate their production units to the US to avoid the tariffs.

"It would be more. It would also be Samsung and anybody that makes that product. Otherwise, it wouldn't be fair...when they build their plant here, there is no tariff," Trump said.

The U.S. President had on Thursady while pressurising Apple to relocate to the U.S. said iPhones and other Apple products will be imposed with 25% if they are not manufactured locally.

"I have long ago informed Apple CEO Tim Cook that I expect the iPhones that will be sold in the United States of America to be manufactured and built in the United States, not India, or anyplace else. If that is not the case, a tariff of at least 25% must be paid by Apple to the US," Trump said in a post on Truth Social.

Trump had earlier said he had asked Apple CEO Tim Cook to abandon the company's expansion plan in India.

Apple has been assembling smartphones in India through contract manufacturers - Hon Hai Precision (Foxconn), Tata Electronics (formerly Wistron) and Pegatron, since 2017. Apple started assembling entry-level or legacy handsets. This changed in 2021-22 when it started assembling the iPhone 14 models in India.

Few weeks ago, Tim Cook had announced to increase manufacturing in India to manifold, and also establishing new manufacturing units. Trump however said he “advised” the Apple CEO not to do so.

"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. 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, so it is very hard to sell in India," Trump said while addressing a business event in Doha Qatar.

Follow ummid.com WhatsApp Channel for all the latest updates.

Select Language To Read in Urdu, Hindi, Marathi or Arabic.