Trump Warns Samsung Of Tariffs If Phones Not Manufactured In US, Steps Up Pressure On Apple To Build IPhones In Country
New York : It seems Apple is not alone in facing US President Donald Trump’s tariff threat. Speaking to reporters in the White House, Trump said the tariff would apply to any phone manufacturer selling devices in the US. “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 remarks came as he stepped up the pressure on Apple to build its iPhones in the country. “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. Trump’s post saw Apple’s shares falling 2.6%, wiping out approximately USD 70 billion.
Trump expressed his displeasure with Apple over the company’s move to manufacture iPhones to be sold in the US at plants in India. According to analysts, around 90% of Apple’s smartphones are assembled in China.
However, Samsung doesn’t rely on China for smartphone manufacturing and a majority of its operations take place in India, South Korea, Vietnam, and Brazil. The South Korean tech giant closed its last phone manufacturing factory in China in 2019.
