On Friday, President Trump publicly threatened a 25% tariff on all iPhones not made in the United States, catching both Apple and his own administration off guard. Now, The New York Times reports it seems the move was likely payback for Tim Cook skipping Trump’s recent Middle East trip.
The President goes east
You’ve probably seen a few photos from Trump’s CEO-studded tour of the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia.
From Nvidia’s Jensen Huang to OpenAI’s Sam Altman, the president’s entourage read like a Silicon Valley star lineup. But one high-profile exec was missing: Apple CEO Tim Cook, who had been invited but declined. And according to the Times, that decision stuck with Trump throughout the trip.
During a speech in Riyadh, for instance, the president praised Huang for showing up, then took a shot: “Tim Cook isn’t here, but you are.” Later, in Qatar, he told attendees he had “a little problem with Tim Cook”, as he criticized Apple’s growing manufacturing footprint in India. Hours later, the tariff threat went live:
“I have long ago informed Tim Cook of Apple that I expect their iPhone’s that will be sold in the United States of America will be manufactured and built in the United States, not India, or anyplace else. If that is not the case, a Tariff of at least 25% must be paid by Apple to the U.S. Thank your for your attention to this matter!”
Trump and his allies have been pushing for Apple to bring iPhone manufacturing stateside, but Friday’s threat felt less like a strategic move and more like targeted punishment. Apple had just narrowly avoided a 145% China-related tariff in April, and now it’s facing a new one.
As Tripp Mickle notes in the Times’ report, the recent shift in tone has put Apple in an unprecedented position regarding its relationship with Trump. During his first term, Cook managed to keep Apple out of the White House’s crosshairs by playing diplomat-in-chief, showing up when it counted and making just enough concessions to keep the peace.
Now, it appears Trump is demanding that Cook, who personally donated US$1 million to his inauguration, abide by his whims further. And as Cook seems to be drawing the line, this appears to be frustrating Trump, who has always boasted about his close relationship with Apple’s CEO.
Whether the new tariff actually comes to pass is still an open question. But the message has already landed: skip the photo ops, and there’s a price to pay.
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