Trump gives Apple a tongue lashing on US-made products

Apple is the latest US company to face Trump's wrath. Photo/Getty Images.

US President Donald Trump on Saturday took aim at Apple after the tech giant said the White House's proposed tariffs on China could result in price increases on popular consumer devices such as AirPods, the company's wireless headphones, and the Apple Watch.

In a tweet, Trump said there's an "easy solution" to Apple's potential woes that also came with a tax break: "Make your products in the United States instead of China. Start building new plants now. Exciting!"

Apple declined to comment.

Earlier this week, Apple said in a regulatory filing that the president's proposed US$200 billion (NZ$305 billion) in fresh tariffs on China would cover "a wide range of Apple products," from its Mac Mini computer to cables, chargers and laptop cases. "Our concern with these tariffs is that the US will be hardest hit, and that will result in lower U.S. growth and competitiveness and higher prices for U.S. consumers," the company said.

Apple prices may increase because of the massive Tariffs we may be imposing on China - but there is an easy solution where there would be ZERO tax, and indeed a tax incentive. Make your products in the United States instead of China. Start building new plants now. Exciting! #MAGA

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 8, 2018

Since then, though, Trump has threatened an additional US$267 billion of tariffs on China, a move revealed Friday that could cover virtually all Chinese-made goods entering the United States.

The tariffs are top of mind for Apple chief executive Tim Cook, who has personally lobbied Trump for months on issues of taxes and trade, even dining with the president and first lady Melania Trump at Trump National Golf Course in Bedminster, New Jersey, last month. Cook's personal diplomacy stands in stark contrast to some of his peers in the tech industry, who haven't engaged Trump directly - and often are on the receiving end of far more aggressive tweets attacking their business practices.

Apple, like other tech giants, has benefited from the last year's overhaul to the U.S. tax code, and the company has committed to returning much of the $252 billion in cash it held abroad. In January, the company also announced its "direct contribution" to the U.S. economy through investments and other spending would exceed $350 billion over the next five years, while it would establish a new Apple campus to house technical support for customers. Some components for Apple products, including glass from manufacturers like Corning, are made in the United States, the company has said.

Trump previously has claimed that Apple is building new plants in the United States, but the iPhone maker has not announced any such plans.

- Washington Post