President Donald Trump claimed on Monday that Apple will build “a lot of plants” in the U.S. as part of its previously announced $500 billion investment, following a phone call with CEO Tim Cook. His comments came after the U.S. and China agreed to suspend most tariffs for 90 days, temporarily easing trade tensions. Apple’s stock rose 6% on the news, outperforming the Nasdaq’s 3% gain.
“I spoke to Tim Cook this morning, and he’s going to, I think, even up his numbers,” Trump said from the Oval Office. “$500 billion, he’s going to be building a lot of plants in the United States for Apple. And we look forward to that,” he added, according to CNBC.
Apple’s U.S. Plans: What’s Confirmed
In February, Apple announced it would invest over $500 billion in the U.S. over four years. The plans include hiring 20,000 new employees, expanding Apple’s research and development operations, building a new factory in Houston, and increasing manufacturing and silicon production in states like Texas and Arizona. However, Trump’s claim of multiple new plants goes beyond what Apple has publicly confirmed.
So far, the only new U.S. manufacturing facility Apple has formally announced is a 250,000-square-foot server plant in Houston.
According to Apple’s newsroom, the factory will assemble servers supporting Apple Intelligence, the company’s AI platform. That facility is scheduled to open in 2026 and is expected to create thousands of jobs. Apple says the servers were previously made outside the U.S. and will now be built using Apple-designed, energy-efficient components.
Apple’s broader $500 billion initiative includes:
- Doubling its U.S. Advanced Manufacturing Fund from $5 billion to $10 billion.
- Investing billions in silicon production at TSMC’s Fab 21 plant in Arizona.
- Growing its R&D and AI engineering workforce across multiple states.
- Creating a new manufacturing academy in Detroit to train U.S. workers and businesses in advanced technologies.
Despite the scale of these investments, no additional U.S. plants beyond the Houston site have been publicly confirmed. An Apple spokesperson declined to comment on Trump’s remarks.
Pressure to Shift Manufacturing
Trump has long urged Apple to bring iPhone production to the U.S. While Apple has taken steps to diversify its supply chain—shifting some production to Vietnam and India—most manufacturing remains in China. Experts say moving large-scale device production to the U.S. would be difficult and costly.
In a recent earnings call, Tim Cook acknowledged the unpredictability of the global manufacturing landscape but avoided committing to any specific shifts in production locations beyond June. He emphasized that Apple is adjusting sourcing strategies but called the situation “difficult to predict.”
As reported by CNBC, while Apple has received some tariff exemptions, it still faces 10% to 30% tariffs in various secondary markets, which adds further pressure to consider domestic production. But for now, Trump’s statement about Apple building “a lot of plants” remains unsupported by Apple’s public plans or statements.