Trump: iPhones “Absolutely” Can Be Made in the USA

Despite skepticism from tech industry leaders, former President Trump believes iPhones can be manufactured in the United States. This claim was reiterated by White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, highlighting Apple’s significant US investment plan as evidence of the feasibility.

Leavitt’s comments followed remarks by US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, who suggested tariffs would spur the relocation of iPhone manufacturing to the US. When questioned about whether Trump believes iPhone manufacturing could realistically move stateside, Leavitt stated, “Absolutely. He believes we have the labor, we have the workforce, we have the resources to do it.”

However, this view contrasts sharply with long-held industry perspectives. Critics point out that Apple’s investment may align with existing spending projections, and both Steve Jobs and Tim Cook have previously expressed doubts about the practicality of US-based iPhone production.

In Walter Isaacson’s biography of Steve Jobs, the Apple founder explained to then-President Barack Obama that the US lacked the necessary skilled workforce, particularly the 30,000 engineers needed to support a large-scale factory comparable to those in China.

Tim Cook echoed this sentiment in 2017, emphasizing that China’s appeal lies not in low labor costs, but in the concentration of highly skilled workers and advanced tooling expertise. He suggested that the US lacks the depth of tooling engineers required for such complex manufacturing processes.

The debate underscores the complexities of relocating advanced manufacturing and the challenges of building a competitive workforce in the US for industries like smartphone production. Whether Trump’s vision will materialize remains to be seen.

Keywords: Trump, iPhone, manufacturing, USA, Apple, tariffs, Tim Cook, Steve Jobs, US economy, technology, workforce, China, Karoline Leavitt, Howard Lutnick.