Daijiworld Media Network- Washington
Washington, Jul 25: In a fiery address at an AI summit in Washington, US President Donald Trump came down heavily on American tech giants for outsourcing jobs and operations abroad — singling out India as one of the top destinations. The president warned that the era of “radical globalism” was over and urged Silicon Valley to recommit to American soil.
“For too long, much of our tech industry pursued a radical globalism... building factories in China, hiring workers in India, and slashing profits in Ireland,” Trump said, as he criticised companies for drifting away from the American public. “Those days are over,” he declared, calling on tech firms to “put America first” and stop favouring foreign nations over US workers.
Trump’s comments come at a time when the US and India are on the verge of concluding a crucial trade agreement. The deal, however, remains in limbo as India reportedly awaits formal notification on tariff changes — a formality extended to over 20 other countries but yet to reach New Delhi.
The Republican leader has long voiced concerns about tech outsourcing. In May, Trump said he had warned Apple of a possible 25% tariff on iPhones if the company failed to shift production back from India to the US. Apple, in recent years, has rapidly scaled its operations in India — producing iPhones worth nearly $22 billion in the financial year ending March 2025, marking a 60% jump from the previous year.
Foxconn, Apple’s primary assembler, has also committed an additional $1.5 billion to boost capacity in India, underlining India’s growing importance in global tech supply chains.
India, for its part, has faced Trump’s tariff heat before. In April, he introduced a 26% reciprocal tariff on Indian imports, though its implementation has been deferred till August 1 to allow for continued trade negotiations.
While Trump reiterated that the tech industry must stay loyal to its American roots, his comments have once again cast a spotlight on India’s central role in global outsourcing and the growing scrutiny it faces ahead of a potentially game-changing trade deal.