Tim Prepare dinner (left) with Donald Trump in a earlier assembly — picture credit score: CNBC
The additional tariff added to all iPhones imported within the US might not have been about bringing manufacturing again to the US, however particularly to reprimand Tim Prepare dinner for skipping a Trump occasion.
On Might 23, 2025, Trump introduced that Apple must pay a 25% tariff on each iPhone imported into the US. AppleInsider famous on the time that it was uncommon for Trump to acknowledge that US enterprise must pay the charge, as a substitute of inaccurately claiming that international nations would.
Now in line with the New York Occasions, there seems to have been a purpose for Apple being singled out. From Might 13 to Might 16, Trump was visiting the Center East and bringing with him representatives of many US firms.
Apple was not in attendance.
Tump complains about Apple
Two unnamed sources say that Tim Prepare dinner declined Trump’s invitation to affix the journey, and that is stated to have irritated the president. What is definite is that Trump repeatedly referred to to Prepare dinner’s absence through the journey
“I imply, Tim Prepare dinner is not right here, however you might be,” Trump commented to Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang.
That was at a Trump occasion additionally attended by OpenAI’s Sam Altman. Executives from AMD, BlackRock, and Citigroup have been additionally in attendance.
It was through the journey when he was in Qatar, that Trump stated he “had a bit drawback with Tim Prepare dinner.” Then it was following the journey that Trump introduced the 25% tariff on iPhones, saying it was as a result of Apple wasn’t making the units within the US.
Trump’s announcement of the brand new tariff on his Fact Social platform reportedly shocked his personal administration as a lot because it did Apple. There have been after all no particulars, however subsequently, Trump introduced that the tariff would begin in June.
With the iPhone 17 launch taking place in September, Apple won’t be able to repeat its beforehand profitable strikes to beat tariff deadlines. Forward of the “reciprocal” tariffs introduced in April, Apple accelerated iPhone manufacture and airlifted additional units into the US.
Apple managed to get an exemption from the “reciprocal” tariffs, though Trump later revised that to be a short lived measure. There’s additionally a spurious nationwide safety investigation into semiconductors, whose conclusion has been prejudged by the White Home and can imply additional tariffs.
It isn’t remotely clear whether or not the brand new 25% tariff will come fully on prime of no matter different tariffs are launched or reintroduced. Apple has beforehand stated that it expects to pay out $900 million in tariffs in its present June quarter, however that presupposed there could be no additional tariffs.
Apple’s deteriorating relationship with Trump
Apple has not commented on both the tariffs or the New York Occasions report.
Whether or not or not the tariff was launched solely as a punishment for Tim Prepare dinner, it’s a part of a big change in Trump’s relationship with Apple. Prepare dinner has been each praised and criticized for the way he has labored to maintain that relationship going and acquire Apple exemptions, together with donating $1 million of his personal cash to Trump’s inauguration.
Lately, nevertheless, Prepare dinner additionally declined an invite to attend a White Home know-how summit in individual, though he did seem in video by satellite tv for pc.
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