White House says Trump believes iPhones can be made in the US

Apple iPhone

The White House doubled down on its belief that Apple could move iPhone manufacturing to the US, with Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt stating today that President Donald Trump is confident the American workforce is ready for the challenge.

Speaking at a press briefing, Leavitt addressed growing questions around Trump’s latest round of tariffs and their implications for Apple. When asked whether iPhone production is the kind of high-tech manufacturing Trump envisions returning to US soil, Leavitt responded: “He believes we have the labor, we have the workforce, we have the resources to do it.”

Back in February, Apple announced that it will invest $500 billion in the US over the next four years. “If Apple didn’t think the United States could do it, they probably wouldn’t have put up that big chunk of change,” she added.

But that interpretation is a stretch. Apple’s half-trillion-dollar commitment makes no mention of domestic iPhone assembly. Instead, the focus is on chip manufacturing in Arizona, AI server production in Houston, investments in original content through Apple TV+, and the expansion of educational initiatives like its academy in Michigan. iPhone production was notably absent.

Leavitt also emphasised that Trump’s tariff strategy is aimed at creating both traditional manufacturing roles and high-skilled jobs in fields like AI and emerging technologies. “The president wants to increase manufacturing jobs here in the United States of America, but he’s also looking at advanced technologies,” she said.

While the administration is bullish on the idea of iPhones made in the USA, industry experts continue to point out that the skill base and supply chain infrastructure required for mass-scale iPhone production still reside overwhelmingly in Asia. For now, Apple seems more focused on shifting assembly to India than bringing it home.