The rising controversy behind President Donald J. Trump's tariffs on all imported goods are already causing a significant stir in the tech industry, with Apple facing a massive hit to its operations. However, the POTUS believes that Apple could move its iPhone manufacturing right here in the United States, having faith in the company's resources and capabilities.
While Apple designed the entire iPhone series in California, several of its components were sourced from its Chinese partners, including Foxconn, and assembled in Asian plants.
Trump: Apple Could 'Absolutely' Move iPhone Manufacturing to the US
Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt discussed via a media briefing that President Trump "absolutely" believes that Apple could manufacture its iPhones right here on US soil. Apart from that, Leavitt claimed that Apple could also manufacture their other devices right here in the country, talking about the possibility of having Apple move its supply chain to its homeland.
According to Leavitt, "Absolutely, he believes we have the labor, we have the workforce, we have the resources to do it," pertaining to Apple's capabilities to transfer its development of the smartphone from its foreign operations.
Moreover, Leavitt mentioned that Apple recently made a $500 billion investment in the United States, believing this to be proof that the Cupertino-based tech giant "could do it" as they have the funds and means.
Trump's Tariff Fiasco: Apple Faces Tech Manufacturing Issues
According to MacRumors, Apple's CEO Tim Cook previously claimed that they chose China for tech manufacturing not because of the low labor costs but due to the advanced skills of their workers in the region.
That being said, Howard Lutnick, the United States Secretary of Commerce, also claimed that iPhone manufacturing could be done in America as an "army of millions of millions of people" can screw components to make an iPhone.
Tech Industry Faces the Drastic Effects of Trump's Tariffs
The tech industry has recently scrambled to mobilize the arrival of stocks from their foreign manufacturing plants outside the country, stashing different devices in the US to avoid the massive tariffs that are now taking effect.
Apple recently reportedly flew planes full of iPhones to the US for stockpiling as reports have speculated that with the tariffs, the iPhone 16 Pro Max, its most expensive variant, could cost up to $2,300 because of the tax.
Despite Trump and his administration presenting a united front on these tariffs, it is certainly an unpopular move for the tech industry as well as the American public as this means a significant rise in costs for almost all goods.
Fans of the Switch 2 have been blaming Trump for the delay in its preorders and a possible price increase, with Nintendo citing the tariffs to be behind it all.
Back when Trump announced that there would be tariffs for all imported goods, many have already expressed their dismay about what it will do to the various industries and sectors, including tech.
However, while there is a solution, like bringing the manufacturing and assembly line back to the country, there would still be significant changes, even for companies as large as Apple.
