Donald Trump’s 25% tariff threats on Made-in-India iPhones could face a potential lawsuit from California Attorney General Rob Bonta. Earlier this week, Trump said he had told Apple CEO Tim Cook to fully manufacture iPhones in the US or face a 25% tariff on iPhones made in India or anywhere else in the world.
Notably, amid rising trade tensions and Trump’s reciprocal tariffs, Apple had planned to sell all of India-made iPhones in the US. However, Trump had told the company, “I hear you are building all over India. I don’t want you building in India… India can take care of themselves”
California AG Rob Bonta has now said that his office is currently monitoring the situation and will protect the rights of California companies, even from the President of the US.
In a statement to Politico, Bonta said, “We will be monitoring what he does, if he does anything, and we’ll make sure that if the law is broken and we have standing to sue, we’ll take appropriate action.”
“The statement about Apple is something that is obviously disappointing…It’s almost like he 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.’” the California AG added.
Bonta, who has a track record of going after Big Tech companies over privacy and anti-monopoly issues, defended the Tim Cook-led company on Friday, saying it’s because of companies like Apple that California has become the fourth-largest economy in the world, and he wants to ensure it can “continue to provide great products” and jobs.
“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, which is not something that you would normally have to protect against,” Key further noted.
