New Delhi: The US President, Donald Trump at a business event in Doha made a tongue-in-cheek comment about Apple Tim Cook, saying he had a “little problem” with him. While acknowledging Apple massive 500 billion dollars invested. He raised concerns over the company’s growing presence in India.The President noted that India’s high tariffs make it difficult for American companies to sell there and joked that he’d prefer Apple to focus more on building at home than abroad.

The US President’s comments have raised questions about Apple’s plans to make most of its US-bound iPhones in India by late 2024. The tech giant has been looking to reduce its dependence on China amid rising tariffs and diplomatic tensions.

At present, Apple makes most of its iPhones in China and has no production units in the US. In India, a large chunk of iPhone production happens at Foxconn’s factory in the south. Tata Group is also playing a big role—it took over Wistron’s local operations and now runs Pegatron’s Indian facilities. Both Tata and Foxconn are steadily expanding, adding new plants and boosting production in southern India.

India was one of the first countries to start trade talks with the U.S. after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the White House in February. Both sides are hoping to wrap up the first phase of a trade deal by this autumn. As part of the process, India’s commerce minister will visit the U.S. from May 17 to 20 for further discussions with officials from the Trump administration.