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White House trade advisor Peter Navarro gave Apple CEO Tim Cook a new, somewhat unexpected title in a recent interview: soap opera star.
Navarro, who has advised President Donald Trump since his first term is a staunch tariff advocate, said on CNBC’s “Squawk on the Street” that Apple CEO Tim Cook isn’t doing enough to move manufacturing out of China.
“Going back to the first trump term, Tim Cook has continually asked for more time in order to move his factories out of China,” Navarro said. “I mean it’s the longest-running soap opera in Silicon Valley. My problem with Tim Cook is he never takes the steps to actually do that.”
He added that it’s “inconceivable” that Apple couldn’t move manufacturing. Representatives for the White House and Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment from BI.
Apple has historically depended on a sprawling supply chain in China to manufacture and ship its products to America, though the company has taken steps to diversify its supply chain amid the Trump administration’s trade war with China. The White House delayed tariffs again this weekend; now, the Liberation Day tariffs are set to take effect on August 1.
In February, Apple committed to investing $500 billion in US projects throughout the next four years. An analyst previously told BI that a made-in-America iPhone could cost $3,500, and some think it’s impossible for the company to shift manufacturing to the US at all.
Apple is ramping up iPhone production in India, which Cook talked about during a May earnings call.
“For the June quarter, we do expect the majority of iPhones sold in the US will have India as their country of origin, and Vietnam to be the country of origin for almost all iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, and AirPods products also sold in the US,” Cook said.
In May, Trump threatened a 25% tariff on iPhones that aren’t made in the US. He’s also criticized Apple’s investment in India, saying in May that he has a “little problem” with Cook because of the effort there rather than in the US. It’s generally been a tough year for Apple stock, given lagging iPhone sales and a lackluster showing in the AI race.
Navarro was also asked about his public spat with another tech bigwig during his interview: Tesla CEO and former White House darling Elon Musk. He generally brushed off the question, though, and instead spoke about the spending bill that Trump recently signed into law. Over the weekend, Musk announced he is forming a new political party after publicly criticizing the bill.
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