California Attorney General threatens lawsuit over potential 25% iPhone tariff
In a reaction to newly announced tariffs that initially appeared to target Apple's iPhone, California's Attorney General Rob Bonta said he would consider taking the Trump administration to court.
Apple plans to reduce its tariff penalty on iPhones by making more of them in India
In his initial announcement, President Trump appeared to be singling out Apple, saying that the company should make all of its iPhones in the US rather than in other countries. He said that Apple would pay a 25 percent tariff on iPhones made in India.
"The statement about Apple is something that is obviously disappointing," Bonta said in a statement first reported by Politico. "It's almost like [Trump] wakes up in the morning and he says, Hey, I think Apple should build more Apple phones, and so maybe I'll tell their CEO that he should do that.' And then maybe tomorrow, he wakes up and he says, Hey, I was just kidding.'"
Bonta has defended Apple, which is based in California and is a major technology employer. He credited Apple as being one of many companies that have helped build the state's economy into the fourth-largest in the world.
"We're proud of California companies, and we want to make sure that their rights are not violated, especially by the president of the United States," said Bonta, "which is not something that you would normally have to protect against."
Bonta said his office would be examining the actual tariff policies for evidence of it targeting California companies like Apple before making any decision about possible lawsuits.
In a possible reaction to criticism of the new penalty Apple might face, the president later clarified that his tariffs would also apply to other device manufacturers, including Samsung.
Apple has, thus far, not commented on the evolving tariff issues. It is among the US companies temporarily exempt from Trump's tariffs in China and elsewhere, thanks in part to a cordial relationship between Apple CEO Tim Cook and the president.
However, Apple does not have manufacturing facilities in the US capable of producing iPhones on that scale. Such an undertaking would taken many years, as evidenced by Apple chip supplier TSMC's five-year effort to get its first US-based manufacturing plant built in Arizona.
During construction, delays in the Arizona plant were blamed by TSMC on a lack of skilled labor. The plan is now operational, but does not yet make chips for the latest iPhones due to Taiwanese restrictions.
The second plant has been delayed, but a third plant is now planned thanks to a federal grant provided by the existing CHIPS Act legislation, which President Trump opposes.
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Comments
Moral sanity used to be a thing. Those days are over.
Do you want to take Americans away from their $19/hour assembly jobs so they can work for $3.5?
Or make iPhone assembly (not the device) 450% more expensive by assembling in the US? How will that help or make things fairer?
In his personal life he's been screwing others out of monies own long before any political aspirations.
He'd demonstrated his maliciousness, his greed, and his ignorance time and time again. He fails to get any more informed as time passes. His colossally bad handling of tariffs since is first term have shone immeasurably and immediate disasterous results. Many of his stupidly ("ignorantly" isn't apt) issued EOs and bills he's pressured Republicans in to passing, i.e. the One Big Beautiful Bill won't show the havoc and damage they'll cause right away.
Many of his MAGA cult will praise him. They don't see what actual analysts and experts in the econmics fields already know – these bills and cuts due great harm to the American people and Democracy. Even when MAGA is hurt by the horrific cuts to important services, many of them will say he's the greatest President ever. Others will say WHY ME? I VOTED FOR YOU! It will be too late for them.
The backlash against the $Trump Tariff of Nottingham needs to be taken to the voting booth. Democrats need to take back at least two of the three branches or the reign of $Trump will carry on much longer than his term of office. Even thing the damage done doesn't just stop at the end of his term.
Democrats sweeping the midterms and winning in '28 won't be enough. It's been made shockingly clear that authoritarianism isn't something that happens in other countries. It happen here because enough of us didn't pay attention, didn't care, and took far too much for granted. Channel hate and discontent — and reason, sanity, and humanity are shoved to the back of the bus.
Pick a model and assemble here with robots and humans. iPhone SE/Air, or whatever. There are lots of unemployed folks who'd jump at the chance. something is better than nothing.