President Donald Trump’s friendship with the head of Apple has recently devolved following First Buddy Elon Musk’s White House departure – and the fallout could put iPhones prices through the roof. Trump issued a blistering criticism of Apple CEO Tim Cook during his recent trip to the Middle East. The president then followed up with a threat to impose tariffs on all iPhones built outside the US. The move was more shocking because Cook has long been considered tech’s ‘Trump whisperer.’

The apparent disintegration of their friendship comes on the heels of a high-profile bust-up with Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and mounting reports that the friendship between Trump and Musk has fizzled. Cook reportedly drew the president’s ire last week when he refused an invitation to join Trump in the Middle East, the New York Times claimed. During his time in Qatar, Trump publicly admitted he ‘had a little problem with Tim Cook.’

He praised Apple’s investment into the United States before revealing he told Cook: ‘Now I hear you’re building all over India. I don’t want you building in India.’ And during a speech in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Trump took a separate shot at Cook. Praising Nvidia chief executive Jensen Huang for traveling with the White House delegation, Trump said: ‘I mean, Tim Cook isn’t here but you are.’ Days later, Trump posted out a blast on Truth Social which caught even some of his own administration by surprise. ‘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,’ he wrote. ‘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! If they’re going to sell it in America, I want it to be built in the United States,’ Mr. Trump said on Friday. ‘They’re able to do that.’

The tariff revelation once again sent the stock market into a tailspin amid concerns about what it would mean for the broader economy. If it goes ahead, the price of iPhones and Apple products made abroad could skyrocket. Trump said the tariff would apply to ‘anybody that makes the product,’ including Samsung, and would begin ‘by the end of June.’ It marked a significant shift in the pair’s relationship. In 2019, Trump described Cook as a ‘great executive, because he calls me and others don’t.’ Apple had vowed to pour $500billion into the United States over the next four years in an effort to placate Trump despite not building their phones domestically. Similarly, Cook said Apple would source 19 billion chips from the US and begin making AI servers in Houston.

Back in 2017, Cook said while the company would love to make more of its product in the United States, China simply had better skilled workers and more engineers. Just last month in April, Trump spared iPhone, laptops and other electronics from his brutal 125 percent China tariffs. The list of spared items includes smartphones, laptop computers, hard drives, memory chips and processors – all tech essentials that are rarely made in the United States. Experts warned it would take years to ramp up domestic production, if it happens at all. More than 80 percent of all Apple products are made in China — including a staggering 80 percent of iPads and over half of all Mac computers , according to data from Evercore ISI. In the days following Trump’s tariff announcement, Apple saw $640 billion wiped from its market value. Analysts warn that relocating iPhone production to the U.S. would be a monumental task, both logistically and financially.

Bank of America Securities analyst Wamsi Mohan previously estimated that producing the iPhone 16 Pro Max domestically could increase its price by 91 percent, pushing it from $1,199 to approximately $2,300. Wedbush Securities analyst Dan Ives also suggested the cost could soar even higher, potentially reaching $3,500 per unit. The challenges stem from higher labor costs in the U.S. — around $200 per unit compared to $40 in China — and the lack of a skilled workforce for specialized manufacturing tasks.

Apple CEO Tim Cook has previously highlighted the scarcity of qualified tooling engineers in the U.S., noting that while China boasts a vast pool of such talent, the U.S. has a significant shortfall. In response to the escalating tariffs, Apple has taken swift action to mitigate potential disruptions. The company chartered flights to expedite the shipment of approximately 1.5 million iPhones from India to the U.S. , aiming to preempt the impact of the tariffs.

Trump’s former First Buddy Elon Musk was among outspoken critics of Trump’s tariff agenda. In April, he said he would like to see ‘zero tariffs’ between certain nations, including Europe and the United States, for the financial betterment of citizens. Musk personally lost billions of dollars during the subsequent market crash. And while Trump did ultimately negotiate with many nations as well as implement a sweeping tariff freeze, Musk’s sway in the White House has significantly diminished amid whispers that he and Trump are no longer as chummy as they once were. Musk revealed during the Qatar Economic Forum that he was moving away from politics and political spending. ‘In terms of political spending, I’m going to do a lot less in the future,’ he said at the Qatar Economic Forum. ‘I think I’ve done enough,’ he added, sparking laughter in the audience.

A person familiar with Musk’s activities did not rule out the billionaire getting financially engaged in the congressional midterms, but suggested he was dialing it back. ‘Hard to say if he will do the same sort of thing like putting everything on pause to do rallies,’ the source said. President Trump has noticeably turned his attention away from Musk, sending him fewer messages of support on his social media account in recent weeks. Trump did not mention Musk in any of his Truth Social posts in April or May, according to a Politico analysis of his posts. That’s a steep decline from when he first took office and was constantly posting about DOGE and Musk’s accomplishments. Musk’s posts on X also appear to be veering away from politics and more toward his projects.