
Trump’s tariff gamble reignites debate on U.S. manufacturing
As President Donald Trump ramped up a new wave of reciprocal tariffs in an effort to revitalize American manufacturing, a familiar question is again making the rounds: why can’t tech giants like Apple make their products in the United States?
Trump, who has repeatedly argued that tariffs protect domestic industry from “unfair competition,” has claimed such policies could bring manufacturing jobs back to U.S. soil. But industry experts have long pushed back, citing logistical, economic, and technical challenges. And now, a resurfaced video of Apple CEO Tim Cook is once again highlighting the complexities behind global manufacturing decisions, especially for a company as large and intricate as Apple.
Tim Cook breaks down the China equation
In a now-viral clip, Cook pushes back on the popular notion that Apple relies on Chinese factories purely to cut labour costs.
“There is confusion about China. And let me at least give you my opinion. The popular conception is that companies come to China because of low labor costs. I am not sure what part of China they go to, but the truth is China stopped being a low labour cost country many years ago,” Cook says in the video.
According to Cook, the real draw isn’t cheap wages but rather the unparalleled scale and sophistication of China’s supply chain, infrastructure, and talent pool.
“The reason is because of the skill, the quantity of skill in one location, and the type of skill it is. It is like the products we do require really advanced tooling and the precision that you have to have in tooling and working with materials that we do are state-of-the-art,” he adds.
In short, Apple’s devices demand a level of manufacturing precision and logistical coordination that, Cook argues, remains unmatched anywhere else in the world.
Steve Jobs to Obama: “Those jobs aren’t coming back”
This isn’t the first time Apple’s manufacturing strategy has come under scrutiny by U.S. leaders. A New York Times report from 2012 recalled a private Silicon Valley dinner in February 2011, during which then-President Barack Obama pressed Apple’s co-founder Steve Jobs on the issue.
“What would it take to make iPhones in the United States? Why can’t that work come home?” Obama asked.
Jobs, in a blunt assessment that has since become emblematic of modern global trade dynamics, replied, “Those jobs aren’t coming back,” according to a guest quoted in the report.
Also present at the dinner were prominent tech leaders, including then-Google CEO Eric Schmidt and Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg.
The bigger picture: it’s not just Apple
While the Trump administration’s tariff strategy was designed to incentivize companies to move supply chains back to American soil, many firms, especially in the tech sector, have struggled to make the switch. Even as some companies have attempted partial reshoring or diversification to other parts of Asia, the ecosystem that China has built over decades remains hard to replicate.
Cook’s remarks, alongside Jobs’ earlier comments, underscore the fact that manufacturing at Apple’s scale involves more than just cost calculations—it’s about technical expertise, rapid scalability, and a workforce that’s already embedded in a complex production network.
As the debate over tariffs and trade intensifies, Apple’s stance may serve as a reality check: bringing manufacturing back to America isn’t just about political will—it’s about practical capability.