Trump Issues Ultimatum: 25% Tariff on Smartphones Not “Built in USA”

President Donald Trump threatened to impose a 25 percent tariff on smartphones made outside of the United States on Friday, sending a clear message to major smartphone makers, including tech behemoth Apple and its rival Samsung. The announcement suggests a possible rise in trade protectionism and bolsters arguments for American-centric manufacturing.

In an unprecedented trade policy move, Trump first singled out Apple, but he then expanded his mandate to include all smartphone manufacturers. Trump told reporters in Washington that the new tariffs might be imposed by the “end of June.” “It would also be Samsung and anybody that makes that product, otherwise it wouldn’t be fair,” he said.

While Apple engineers its products in the U.S., a substantial portion of iPhone assembly occurs in China, a nation currently engaged in a trade dispute with the United States. Though Apple has revealed intentions to diversify its production to other countries, such as India, Trump unequivocally stated that such shifts would not meet his stringent demands.

In a post on Truth Social, Trump reiterated a long-standing expectation, stating, “I have long ago informed Tim Cook of Apple that I expect their iPhones that will be sold in the United States of America will be manufactured and built in the United States, not India, or anyplace else.” He added, “If that is not the case, a Tariff of at least 25 percent must be paid by Apple to the US.”

These recent remarks echo previous statements made by Trump during a trip to Qatar last week, where he explicitly urged Apple to repatriate iPhone production to the U.S. “I had a little problem with Tim Cook,” Trump recounted on May 15, describing a conversation where he conveyed to Apple’s CEO, “We’re not interested in you building in India… we want you to build here and they’re going to be upping their production in the United States.”

Samsung, Apple’s primary competitor and a dominant force in the U.S. smartphone market, faces a similar challenge, with much of its manufacturing base located in Vietnam, China, and India. Together, Apple and Samsung command approximately 80 percent of smartphone sales in the United States, while other significant players like Google, Xiaomi, and Motorola also largely rely on overseas production.