President Donald Trump appeared alongside Apple CEO Tim Cook as the tech giant announced another $100 billion in investment in the United States.
Apple has pledged to initiate an ‘American Manufacturing Program,’ responding to Trump’s advocacy for relocating more of the company’s supply chain back to the U.S.
In the Oval Office, Cook said the glass screens for Apple’s popular devices would be made in the USA.
‘For the first time ever, every new iPhone and Apple Watch sold globally will feature cover glass produced in Kentucky,’ stated Cook.
Cook presented Trump with a piece of Apple glass, manufactured in Utah, with a gold base.
Overall, Apple has made a $600 billion commitment to the U.S. over the next four years.
According to a statement by White House spokesperson Taylor Rogers to the Daily Mail, ‘President Trump’s America First economic strategy has yielded trillions in investments that uplift American employment and strengthen U.S. businesses.’
‘The latest announcement with Apple marks yet another success for our manufacturing sector, which will also aid in bringing back the production of vital components to secure America’s economic and national interests,’ she further commented.
On Wednesday, President Donald Trump hosted Apple CEO Tim Cook in the Oval Office as Apple committed to manufacturing iPhone and Apple Watch screens at a facility in Kentucky, for global distribution.
During the meeting in the Oval Office, President Donald Trump shook hands with Apple CEO Tim Cook, joined by Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick.
Already, the phone and computer maker supports more than 450,000 jobs in the U.S., spanning all 50 states.
Traditionally, Apple has produced its popular iPhone in China, but more recently has moved some of its production to India.
During his trip to the Middle East in mid-May, Trump admonished Cook for the India move.
‘I had a little problem with Tim Cook yesterday,’ Trump said during an event in Doha, Qatar.
‘I said to him: “Tim, you’re my friend. You’re coming here with $500 billion but now you’re building all over India. I don’t want you building in India,”‘ the president said.
Apple’s decision to move some production to India was prompted by frosty U.S.-China relations.
But since then, U.S. and India relations have also worsened.
In the hours ahead of the Apple announcement, Trump signed an executive order imposing an additional 25 percent tariff on India after the country purchased Russian oil.
The new tariff will go into effect in 21 days and will be on top of the 25 percent tariff already on Indian imports.
When Trump originally announced his ‘Liberation Day’ tariffs on April 2, smartphones, chips and other tech products were exempt.
It appears that policy continues to hold despite the additional round of tariff threats.
A White House official told the Daily Mail: ‘the deal does not reflect any changes to current tariffs policies.’
No iPhones are currently made in the United States and experts have warned that doing so would increase the cost of the popular smartphones exponentially.
The Chinese have mocked the idea of United States bringing back widespread manufacturing.
In April, amid Trump’s trade war with China, a number of Chinese AI videos went viral that showed overweight Americans working on assembly lines.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt blasted the videos saying that ‘whoever made it clearly does not see the potential of the American worker, the American workforce.’
‘The president believes in the American people and he knows that we have the best – not only consumer base in the world, but also the best workforce in the world and that’s why he’s so focused on bringing investments home and shoring up our critical supply chains and bolstering our manufacturing here as well,’ Leavitt said at a press briefing in mid-April.
