Trump Loses Out as Apple Boss Accused of Lying Over Factory Plans
Apple CEO Tim Cook’s promise to build a factory in the United States has been branded an outright lie by White House trade adviser Peter Navarro.
Previously, Apple had planned to relocate its facilities from China to the United States, with the iPhone manufacturer also increasing investment in its home country.
“We let him [Apple] get away with it during the first [Trump] term, because he [Tim Cook] promised he would move his iPhone production here, and he blatantly lied,” Navarro said, according to New York Post.
Rather than the United States, Apple chose to build factories in India instead. Navarro argued that moving iPhone manufacturing to India was little different from remaining in China.
“They will go to India, and in my view it’s not much better than being in China,” Navarro said.
MacDailyNews reported that iPhone assembly factories in China assemble 190 million units annually, a figure that has declined as production in India increases.
The MacDailyNews report also highlighted iPhone assembly in the United States, noting that such production would likely fail. The report cited several factors, including unattractive wages and the lack of worker housing and other facilities.
There were also issues regarding robotics development, as future US factories would be operated by robots and managed by fewer workers commanding higher salaries to maintain assembly lines.
Apple Commits to Building Mac Mini Factory in US
Recently, Reuters reported that Apple would shift Mac Mini production to its United States factory from late 2026 onwards.
Apple had previously announced plans to invest US$600 billion (approximately Rp10 trillion) in the United States in 2025. Apple CEO Tim Cook also appeared increasingly close to Trump.
In August 2025, Cook was present at the White House with Trump for an announcement of a US$100 billion commitment. The company also stated it would purchase components and expand relationships with US suppliers.
“As part of our US$600 billion commitment, Mac Mini will be manufactured in the United States for the first time by the end of this year,” Cook wrote on his personal X account on Tuesday (24 February) local time.
“We are accelerating the increase [in realising the commitment] further. We are producing more AI servers and opening Apple’s Advanced Manufacturing Centre for direct training [in the US],” Cook added.
Mac Mini is a compact Apple computer priced more affordably, starting from US$600, according to the company’s official website. From the end of this year, production will take place at Apple’s new facility in Houston.
The facility began operations for AI server production last year, according to Apple’s statement.