Trump Threatens 25% Tariffs on Apple If iPhones Not Made in US(bloomberg.com)
bloomberg.com
Trump Threatens 25% Tariffs on Apple If iPhones Not Made in US
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-05-23/trump-threatens-25-tariffs-on-apple-if-iphones-not-made-in-us
36 comments
> The simple fact is that we now live in an interconnected world. It is simply not possible or practical to natively produce everything that goes into an iPhone.
US is a huge country with tremendous human capital and natural resources. I don’t see issues with US producing much more goods than it is producing now. It might be not practical, or not practical yet, but it’s for sure possible.
US is a huge country with tremendous human capital and natural resources. I don’t see issues with US producing much more goods than it is producing now. It might be not practical, or not practical yet, but it’s for sure possible.
The US will need to crash its own economy and create underclass of people with no better employment options first to make it reasonable.
It is working on for sure, but not there yet. It still have too low unemployment rates for these potential jobs to become cheap enough.
It is working on for sure, but not there yet. It still have too low unemployment rates for these potential jobs to become cheap enough.
It's not even about the supposedly cheap labor. China has built very advanced automated assembly plants, and has a whole supply chain which provides most of the parts needed. Either we have to, at great expense, replicate that whole supply chain here, or we have to import the parts at great, tariffed, cost anyway and only do final assembly. While this would save money since I guess then the tariff is only on the BOM and not Apple's legendary margin, it would still massively inflate the cost. Why do "Republicans" love high taxes so much now?
This seems so stupid because we don't really need every continent to have a very complex and expensive supply chain for tiny electronic components when boats and money both exist, but let's say you disagree on that.
On what earth does it make sense to tariff smartphones in 2025 with zero warning? It would take ten years to fully construct a completely domestic supply chain for iPhones if you started today. So why not announce a tariff that starts in 10 years, so that that can be built, but we don't burden all Americans with this high tax on something everyone buys?
(Answer: Everybody knows Trump and Navarro will be dead in 10 years and that anyone else would cancel this dumbass idea and replace it with policy that isn't so idiotic and self-defeating.)
This seems so stupid because we don't really need every continent to have a very complex and expensive supply chain for tiny electronic components when boats and money both exist, but let's say you disagree on that.
On what earth does it make sense to tariff smartphones in 2025 with zero warning? It would take ten years to fully construct a completely domestic supply chain for iPhones if you started today. So why not announce a tariff that starts in 10 years, so that that can be built, but we don't burden all Americans with this high tax on something everyone buys?
(Answer: Everybody knows Trump and Navarro will be dead in 10 years and that anyone else would cancel this dumbass idea and replace it with policy that isn't so idiotic and self-defeating.)
Why do "Republicans" love high taxes so much now?
Because it's higher taxes only for people who work and buy things and this allows lowering taxes on those who play finance games.
The real irony is those most disadvantaged by this are the people who voted for it. Stupid is as stupid does.
Because it's higher taxes only for people who work and buy things and this allows lowering taxes on those who play finance games.
The real irony is those most disadvantaged by this are the people who voted for it. Stupid is as stupid does.
Not at this price point it's not.
Come on. In this modern world they must be able to bribe the president for less than that.
Maybe if Tim buys some Trump coin?
I suspect Apple is concerned not just with the tariff, but the next tweet and the next…
Tim already paid his bribe, https://variety.com/2025/digital/news/apple-ceo-tim-cook-don... and others who have cut deals with him have found those deals to be less than solid. Law firms that settled with Trump have reported that they've received demands well outside their agreements.
Tim already paid his bribe, https://variety.com/2025/digital/news/apple-ceo-tim-cook-don... and others who have cut deals with him have found those deals to be less than solid. Law firms that settled with Trump have reported that they've received demands well outside their agreements.
Concern is certainly understandable.
The choice for Apple (and everyone) is how to respond effectively and appropriately.
As it stands, the world economy is being subjected to the whims of one person. And this person has a checkered history with marketplace economics.
The choice for Apple (and everyone) is how to respond effectively and appropriately.
As it stands, the world economy is being subjected to the whims of one person. And this person has a checkered history with marketplace economics.
In the third world, $1M is hardly considered as a bribe. For large contracts in the third world, companies pay 20% as bribe. That's why Benazir Bhutto's husband is called "Mr 10%". In India, regional parties rule many states; the big bosses there want 20%.
No, the only logical choice for Apple is to go to court to block this random act of executive over-reach. The president does not have the constitutional authority to impose random tariffs on individual companies.
The tariff will likely also be off again in a few days. The only constant with this administration seems to be random change.
So much energy spent, when all Apple would have to do, is buy the correct coins...or maybe that is the purpose all along.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/trump-crypto-golf-club-dinner-...
https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/trump-crypto-golf-club-dinner-...
Oh, they paid up [0], maybe not enough but they did pay.
[0] https://www.axios.com/2025/01/03/tim-cook-apple-donate-1-mil... - nb4: Tim Cook = Apple for the purposes of this. I'm "he" donated to give Apple a firewall and a way to disown it when he retires (or hopefully is let go sooner).
[0] https://www.axios.com/2025/01/03/tim-cook-apple-donate-1-mil... - nb4: Tim Cook = Apple for the purposes of this. I'm "he" donated to give Apple a firewall and a way to disown it when he retires (or hopefully is let go sooner).
It's true that Trump is laughably cheap to bribe when you compare the magnitude of the many bribes compared to the damage caused to whoever isn't bribing him (In his first term he put a big tariff on bauxite that cost billions to an entire industry who imports it to produce aluminum metal, for a small windfall for the only domestic bauxite producer (friend/donor of Trump), it was orders of magnitude less money)
That said, I think current Trump wants to get his beak more wet. If Tim isn't an idiot, he's looking into joint ventures where Apple brokers and finances a couple of Trump Hotels in China or something. Not a million bucks.
That said, I think current Trump wants to get his beak more wet. If Tim isn't an idiot, he's looking into joint ventures where Apple brokers and finances a couple of Trump Hotels in China or something. Not a million bucks.
Buy Samsung instead? They are a foreign corp that makes their products in Korea, so they only currently have 10% tariffs added. They didn't pay a million dollar donation to the inauguration fund, either.
edit: Trump later clarified he would also tariff Samsung to make it fair.
My son (who is 7 and knows already basic maths) can tell you that if a giant production like Apple moves to the US will cost at least 90% or even more to produce. This automatically will make them 110+% more expensive, which will destroy the demand. And who will pay?! The biggest market - USA (~43% as of 2024) Interesting who are the finance advisors of the guy in the white house?!? Good luck!
> who are the finance advisors of the guy in the white house
As far as we know there’s nobody with an education in this administration who is making any sensible argument why these random choices make sense / will produce.
Everyone in the administration who takes questions are political appointees / politicians and they to a person eventually ignore any specific questions and then tell you how great Trump is. The press conferences are creepy at times.
The little info that leaks out from insiders indicates Trump doesn’t take advice from even his own staff often and they are blindsided by tweets frequently.
As far as we know there’s nobody with an education in this administration who is making any sensible argument why these random choices make sense / will produce.
Everyone in the administration who takes questions are political appointees / politicians and they to a person eventually ignore any specific questions and then tell you how great Trump is. The press conferences are creepy at times.
The little info that leaks out from insiders indicates Trump doesn’t take advice from even his own staff often and they are blindsided by tweets frequently.
Peter Navarro, an unhinged lunatic with a singular obsession with tariffs, is the person who has Trump's exclusive attention when it comes to trade policy.
Navarro is to tariffs as Ron Paul was to "abolishing the Fed"
Navarro is to tariffs as Ron Paul was to "abolishing the Fed"
> ... 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...
As an Indian, this makes me a bit sad. Less about the fact that iPhone manufacturing in India is threatened, and more about the fact that my loophole of getting cheaper iPhones (via a US relative/friend) is now closed...
As an Indian, this makes me a bit sad. Less about the fact that iPhone manufacturing in India is threatened, and more about the fact that my loophole of getting cheaper iPhones (via a US relative/friend) is now closed...
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Jsebast24(2)
And the only logical choice for consumers/voters is to decide if they want to support this "tax" and by extension, it's proponent.
The simple fact is that we now live in an interconnected world. It is simply not possible or practical to natively produce everything that goes into an iPhone. Not now, not within the decades to come and probably not ever.
And decrees from the fuhrer and pining for yesteryear won't change this.