Donald Trump admits he has a 'problem' with Tim Cook over tariff feud

Another of President Donald Trump's big tech relationships could be on the rocks, and after many continue to question his 'bromance' with Elon Musk as some potential cracks start to show, it's Apple CEO Tim Cook who could soon be in the POTUS' bad books.

Despite some calling out Cook for congratulating Trump on his election win and attending his January 20 inauguration, their blossoming friendship is nothing new. Whereas the likes of Mark Zuckerberg and even Musk himself have vocally clashed with Donald Trump in the past, Cook has largely managed to stay on his good side. Trump and Cook are so close, Ivanka Trump has even affectionately referred to him as Tim Apple.

Of course, President Trump's recent trade tariffs have turned the world on its head, especially when it comes to the tech world. With reports that iPhone prices could soon go through the roof,

Apple could be looking for ways to get around its over-reliance on the Chinese market when it comes to manufacturing the iPhone.

Cook has bluntly reminded consumers that tariff increases will hit Apple in the pocket in terms of manufacturing, and with him avoiding answering what the cost of future iPhones will be, there are obvious fears that will be passed down to us.

Trump's tariffs are part of his mission to try and bring manufacturing back to the USA, although others claim he's using them as political leverage to get rival countries like China to fall in line.

Away from Apple pledging a massive $500 billion over the next four years as part of a bid to boost the US economy via 20,000 new jobs and a Houston-based AI server plant, it's not exactly a 'solution' to the tariff issue.

Cook looked like he might've found a potential way around some of the tariff charges by increasing production in India, but speaking in Qatar while on his tour of the Middle East, Trump admitted he had a 'little problem' with that idea.

Discussing his rumbling trade war, Trump admitted: "I had a little problem with Tim Cook yesterday. I said to him, 'Tim, you’re my friend. I treated you very good. You’re coming in with $500 billion.' But now I hear you’re building all over India. I don’t want you building in India'."

It comes after Cook spoke about the contentious issue during a May 2025 call and said he expected "the majority of iPhones sold in the US will have India as their country of origin."

Expanding on what happened after the call, Trump said that Apple can do some manufacturing in India "to take care of India" and added the caveat that Apple is "upping their production in the United States," although it sounds like Cook's 'majority' mention has irked the Commander-in-Chief.

The tariff troubles have seen major Apple manufacturing supplier, Foxconn, ink a deal with the Indian government to build a $433 million semiconductor plant that's set to start operating by 2027.

Still, as Apple's supply is tethered to the Asian market, it's not a simple case of switching things over to the USA and circumventing those potentially devastating Trumpenomics.