U.S. President Donald Trump has issued new threats to impose tariffs on global smartphone manufacturers, including South Korea’s Samsung, unless they produce their devices within the United States. Speaking to reporters at the White House on Friday afternoon, Trump emphasized his intent to level the playing field for American companies.
“It would be more, it would be also Samsung and anybody that makes that product. Otherwise it wouldn’t be fair,” Trump said when questioned about his authority to tariff individual companies. “That’ll start on, I guess, the end of June… I think we have that appropriately done by the end of June,” he added.
Samsung, known for its Galaxy series smartphones, is a major competitor to Apple’s iPhones. Earlier that day, Trump announced via social media that he would impose a 25% tariff on Apple products unless iPhones are manufactured in the United States.
“I have long ago informed Tim Cook of Apple that I expect their iPhones that will be sold in the United States of America will be manufactured and built in the United States, not India, or anyplace else. If that is not the case, a tariff of at least 25% must be paid by Apple to the U.S.,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
In addition to targeting smartphone makers, Trump threatened a 50% tax on all imports from the European Union starting June 1, citing insufficient progress in trade negotiations. “Our discussions with them are going nowhere! Therefore, I am recommending a straight 50% tariff on the European Union, starting on June 1, 2025,” he stated.
European leaders responded with caution. EU Trade Chief Maros Sefcovic, after a call with U.S. officials, emphasized that trade relations “must be guided by mutual respect, not threats.” Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof noted, “We have seen before that tariffs can go up and down in talks with the U.S.”
Apple declined to comment on the tariff threats. According to sources, Apple CEO Tim Cook met with Trump on Tuesday. To mitigate potential tariffs, Apple is accelerating plans to manufacture most iPhones sold in the U.S. at factories in India by the end of 2026.
However, analysts remain skeptical about Apple’s ability to shift production entirely to the U.S. “It is hard to imagine that Apple can fully comply with this request from the president in the next three to five years,” said Gil Luria, an analyst at D.A. Davidson & Co.
The escalating trade tensions have raised concerns among global businesses and markets, with many watching closely to see how these developments unfold in the coming months.
