Apple’s $100B pledge is built to stall, not build. Trump’s EO slaps a 25% tariff on Indian electronics starting August 7. Apple’s announcement came August 6. The timing is insurance.
“We took that challenge very seriously,” Cook said, standing beside Trump in the Oval Office. “Apple is leading the creation of an end-to-end silicon supply chain right here in America.” https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/markets/trump-apple-announce-additional-100-billion-in-new-us-investment-amid-tariff-frenzy/ar-AA1K1ylw
But the original $500B already covered R&D, server farms, and supplier deals. No iPhone assembly. No new labor-intensive plants. Just server racks in Houston and glass covers in Kentucky. https://www.macrumors.com/2025/08/06/trump-to-announce-100-billion-apple-investment/
Cook admitted the “vast majority” of iPhones sold in the U.S. still come from India. “We will do more in the United States,” he said, but didn’t say when. https://www.forbes.com/sites/tylerroush/2025/08/06/apple-invests-another-100-billion-into-the-us-trump-says-as-shares-jump-5/
Factory employment in the U.S. dropped for the fifth straight month. Yet the White House called Apple’s pledge “proof that Trump’s tariff strategy is working.” https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/watch-trump-announces-apple-investment-of-additional-100b-in-u-s-manufacturing
Here’s the fracture: Trump’s EO is discretionary. It says “I may modify this order… including in light of additional information, recommendations from senior officials, or changed circumstances.” https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/economy/foreign-trade/india-tariffs-doubled-to-50-trump-says-he-may-modify-order-in-case-of-retaliation/articleshow/123144736.cms
That means the next president can reverse it with a single stroke. No vote. No legal fight. Just a new EO. And if Apple pays the tariff under protest or escrow, refunds are plausible. Especially since the EO was framed as retaliation, not permanent trade law. https://www.businesstoday.in/latest/economy/story/explained-what-trumps-25-tariff-and-russia-linked-penalty-means-for-india-487086-2025-07-30 https://www.timesnownews.com/business-economy/economy/explained-what-do-donald-trumps-25-tariffs-on-india-mean-article-152376522
Apple’s CFO already modeled it. Delay costs vs. tariff exposure. If Trump stays, they build server racks. If he’s out, they build excuses. The pledge is structured to evaporate.
Apple’s biggest export this week? The press release.