Trump asks Cook to stop building iPhones in India

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US President Donald Trump has asked Apple CEO Tim Cook to not manufacture iPhones in India, and ramp up production in the United States instead. 

Speaking at a business summit in Doha, Trump said he personally told Cook to halt Apple's plans to shift more manufacturing to India. 

"I said, Tim, don't build them in India — build them here," Trump said, criticising Apple’s global production strategy.

Apple recently announced it would begin importing India-made iPhones to meet most US demand, part of its broader plan to reduce reliance on China. The company already produces about 20 per cent of its iPhones in India. 

According to Bloomberg and the Financial Times, Apple aims to manufacture all US-bound iPhones in India by 2026.

The rebuke throws a wrench into Prime Minister Narendra Modi's softball diplomacy, which had aimed to curry favor with Trump through generous concessions. 

Modi's state visit to Washington last year resulted in India slashing tariffs on key American exports — a rare move — and finalising a multi-billion-dollar deal to purchase US-made army weapons. That included the acquisition of 31 MQ-9B armed drones and an agreement for GE Aerospace to co-manufacture jet engines with India's HAL.

But rather than rewarding Modi's gestures, Trump appears unmoved — now turning his ire toward one of India's biggest symbolic wins: becoming Apple's next global iPhone hub. 

Modi's carefully stage-managed friendship with Trump, once marked by bear hugs and campaign-style rallies, is yet to yield results in India's favour.