Apple remains committed to India as a key manufacturing hub, dismissing Trump’s call to halt iPhone production abroad.
New Delhi: Apple Inc. has reiterated its commitment to India as a key manufacturing base, brushing off recent remarks by US President Donald Trump urging CEO Tim Cook to halt iPhone production in India and bring operations back to the United States.
Speaking during an event in Doha, Trump said he had a “little problem” with Apple CEO Tim Cook over the company’s growing presence in India. “I said to him, Tim, you’re my friend… But now I hear you’re building all over India. I don’t want you building in India if you want to take care of the US,” Trump said. He added that Apple will be “upping their production in the United States,” though he did not offer further details.
Despite the pressure, Apple has made no indication of scaling back its operations in India. Sources within the Indian government confirmed that officials had spoken with Apple executives following Trump’s comments, and were assured that the tech giant’s investment plans for India remain “intact.”
“Apple has said that its investment plans in India are firm and it proposes to continue to have India as a major manufacturing base for its products,” a senior official said. The company did not issue a public statement, but internal communications suggest Trump’s comments had no bearing on Apple’s strategic direction.
Apple currently assembles around 40 million iPhones annually in India, accounting for approximately 15% of its global output. Manufacturing is led by Foxconn in Tamil Nadu and Tata Electronics, which recently took over operations from Pegatron. Both companies are expanding their facilities, adding new plants and production lines to boost capacity.
The Indian government views Apple’s presence as a major economic driver. Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw announced last month that India exported iPhones worth ₹1.5 lakh crore ($18 billion) in FY2025. Apple’s supply chain in India is estimated to employ around 200,000 people.
Moreover, Foxconn has begun producing Apple AirPods in Telangana for export, while iPhone exports from India reached a record 3.1 million units in March 2025, with 97.6% heading to the U.S., according to S&P Global.
Analysts say Apple is strategically using India to diversify its manufacturing amid rising U.S.-China trade tensions and potential tariff hikes. Cook had earlier indicated that Apple would increasingly source iPhones sold in the U.S. from India.
Despite President Trump’s push for onshore production, Apple remains firm: India is central to its long-term manufacturing strategy.
