The Trump administration’s top trade advisor criticized Apple $AAPL CEO Tim Cook in an interview on Monday for not moving production out of China fast enough.
Apple has spent decades refining its production line in China, but the Trump administration has insisted that it return its manufacturing to the U.S.
John Nacion/FilmMagic
The Trump administration’s top trade advisor criticized Apple $AAPL CEO Tim Cook in an interview on Monday for not moving production out of China fast enough.
In an interview on CNBC’s “Squawk on the Street,” Peter Navarro said that since President Donald Trump’s first term in office, Cook has asked “for more time” to move Apple factories out of China. Navarro called it “the longest-running soap opera in Silicon Valley.”
“My problem with Tim Cook is he never takes the steps to actually do that,” Navarro said in the video interview.
Navarro said in the video that it's “inconceivable” Apple can’t produce its products elsewhere with “all these new advanced manufacturing techniques and the way things are moving with AI.”
Apple has spent decades refining and perfecting its production line in China, but the Trump administration has insisted that the Cupertino, California-based company return its manufacturing to the U.S.
The company is reportedly trying to figure out if it could start making its phones domestically, but that process would take years — and many analysts have said it would be all but impossible without the price at least doubling.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters in April that Apple’s announcement that it would spend $500 billion in the U.S. over the next four years showed a U.S.-made iPhone was possible — but the numbers breaking down potential costs show that it isn’t.
The Trump administration’s rollout of tariffs on Chinese imports encouraged Apple to shift more production to India, with the goal of 25% of all iPhone production taking place in the country within the next few years. The company assembled $22 billion worth of iPhones in India last year and exported $17.5 billion’ worth of those devices abroad. President Trump has said he doesn’t want Apple making iPhones in India, either.
Apple has even started assembling its high-end Pro models in India, though production is not yet near scale. The vast majority of iPhones are still made in China, but that balance has shown signs of shifting.
CNBC reached out to Apple for comment on Navarro’s comments.
—Catherine Baab, Shannon Carroll, and Ben Kesslen contributed to this article.
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