What just happened? Apple’s plan to move assembly of US-bound iPhones from China to India has not been welcomed by Donald Trump. The president has asked CEO Tim Cook not to expand production in the country as “India can take care of themselves.”

In April, it was reported that Apple was preparing to move all assembly of iPhones destined for the US market from China to India by the end of 2026. The move is a direct response to the – now paused – tariffs Trump has imposed on imported Chinese goods.

Speaking during a business event in Doha, Trump said he had a “little problem” with Tim Cook. “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,” the president said.

Trump added that following their discussion, Apple would be “upping their production in the United States.”

Apple first started producing iPhones in India in 2017. The initial focus was on low-cost models, but the country started assembling flagship lines in 2023.

Apple iPhone production in India increased 60% to $22 billion in the previous fiscal year. Most of the assembly takes place at Foxconn’s Hon Hai plant in Sriperumbudur, which is the single-largest site and turns out most of the iPhone 15/16 family, including Pro models. Pegatron builds additional volumes at its campus inside Mahindra World City, also on the outskirts of Chennai. And Tata Electronics, which bought Wistron’s India unit in 2024, produces older-generation iPhones and some 16-series lines at Hosur.

With Trump introducing a 145% tariff on Chinese goods, which has been paused for 90 days, Apple put even more focus on India for its iPhone production. It aims to make around 25% of global iPhones in the country within the next few years as it lessens its reliance on China. The problem for Apple is that 80% of iPhones sold in the US are currently made in China.

Trump wants Apple and other companies to move manufacturing entirely to the US. With over 2,700 parts from 187 suppliers, all but 30 of which are Chinese, a US-made iPhone is a near-impossibility. Even if Apple could do it, moving production to the United States would take many years and would likely result in even more price hikes placed on its handsets.