Apple Touts $100 Billion Investment in U.S. Manufacturing at Event With Trump

President Donald Trump took the credit on Wednesday as Apple CEO Tim Cook announced its latest promise to boost its spending in the U.S.

Standing in the Oval Office next to Cook, Trump announced Apple is adding $100 billion to the $500 billion pledge the company made in February to increase its investment in U.S. manufacturing and tech training. The announcement comes as Apple tries to avoid Trump’s tariffs on imports impacting the cost of its iPhones and computers in the U.S.

“We’re going to be putting a very large tariff on chips and semiconductors but the good news for companies like Apple is that if you’re building or are committed to build in the United States, there will be no charge,” Trump said.

The announcement on Wednesday brings Apple’s promised investment in the U.S. to $600 billion over the next four years. It follows a pattern of Trump stepping forward to tout investments companies are making in the U.S. It’s unclear how much of those investments would have been made anyway.

Trump has predicted his threat of tariffs on imports will pressure companies to increase manufacturing inside the U.S. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the total number of manufacturing jobs in the U.S. has ticked downward slightly since Trump took office.

Trump said that Apple would be expanding its partnership with Corning’s glass manufacturing plant in Harrodsburg, Kentucky. “I did very well in Kentucky,” Trump said, referring to his 2024 electoral victory in the state where he won with 64% of the votes. Cook added that Apple’s goal is to manufacture in Kentucky all the glass used on the top face of Apple Watches and iPhones. “Fantastic. Great people of Kentucky,” Trump said.

Cook presented Trump with an engraved piece of glass designed by a former Marine Corps corporal who works at Apple. The base of the glass plaque was made of 24 karat gold, Cook said, as he set it up on the Resolute Desk in front of Trump. “You’ve been a great advocate for American innovation and manufacturing,” Cook told Trump. Apple, Cook said, is “going to keep making investments right here in America and we’re going to keep hiring in America.”

“They’re coming home,” Trump said about Apple. “Isn’t that nice, we’re doing things here in the United States rather than in other countries, far away counties?”

Apple announced in February that it planned to expand facilities in Arizona, California, Iowa, Oregon, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina and Washington state. The company said it would construct a new factory in Houston, Texas by the end of 2026 intended to build servers that support Apple’s AI products. Apple has also promised to increase education for tech manufacturing workers. The Apple Manufacturing Academy in Detroit, Michigan, is scheduled to open on Aug. 19.  Apple said it would double its designated U.S. Advanced Manufacturing Fund from $5 billion to $10 billion.

Apple’s investment promises during Trump’s second term haven’t all been tied to manufacturing. The company said in February that its additional spending would also be used for building more artificial intelligence infrastructure, data centers, and show production for the Apple TV+ streaming service.

“Today’s announcement with Apple is another win for our manufacturing industry that will simultaneously help reshore the production of critical components to protect America’s economic and national security,” White House assistant press secretary Taylor Rogers said in a statement.