Trump pushes Made in USA iPhones, but Apple founder Steve Jobs saw it as unrealistic: What he said in 2012

It may not be possible for Apple to shift iPhone production to the USA. Here's why.

In an effort to bring manufacturing back to the United States, the Donald Trump administration announced significant tariffs on several key trading partners, with China hit hard by a 145 percent tariff. As a result, companies such as Apple, Microsoft, and others may be compelled to shift production to the U.S. to avoid this burden.

Apple iPhones are displayed in a store in Washington DC, United States. (AFP)

Shaurya Sharma

However, a temporary reprieve has been introduced. According to U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnik, devices including smartphones and laptops will be exempt from reciprocal tariffs, at least for now. ABC has reported that this exemption is only a short-term measure.

"All those products are going to come under semiconductors, and they're going to have a special focus type of tariff to make sure that those products get reshored. We need to have semiconductors, we need to have chips, and we need to have flat panels -- we need to have these things made in America. We can't be reliant on Southeast Asia for all of the things that operate for us," Lutnick said.

Intention Behind Imposing Tariffs

So why is the Trump administration so determined to boost domestic manufacturing? For one, it promises to create more jobs. More broadly, it is seen as a strategic move to boost the American economy and reduce dependence on dominant manufacturing nations like China.

But is this ambition truly achievable? Many experts remain sceptical, and so was Apple’s late co-founder, Steve Jobs.

What Apple Founder Told President Obama In 2012

According to a 2012 report by The New York Times, Apple’s founder Steve Jobs and then-US President Barack Obama once had a conversation during which Obama asked, "What would it take to make iPhones in the United States? Why can’t that work come home?"

To this, Steve Jobs responded, "Those jobs aren’t coming back."

The report further explained that Apple executives argued manufacturing overseas was more feasible due to the speed, skill set, and the sheer scope at which manufacturing is done in Asian nations.

So, while Apple may be reducing its dependence on China by shifting manufacturing to countries such as India and Vietnam, the majority of its products are still made in China, and that appears to be exactly what Donald Trump is targeting.