Burbock offered to pay for an iPhone upgrade in response to Trump's tariffs

For each update of the iPhone phone software, a monetary fee may be imposed in response to the duties of US President Donald Trump. This proposal was made on March 28 by German Foreign Minister Annalena Burbock.

"If others, like today, impose 25 percent duties, then we will be able to apply all our tools. How often do we update our iPhone? Ten cents for an upgrade would bring a lot of money to Europe, but others might not like it," the German newspaper Der Tagesspiegel quoted Berbok as saying.

Trump's tariff war: what consequences await the global economy

Since March 4, 2025, the United States has sharply increased duties on goods from China, Mexico and Canada.

The German edition of Handelsblatt, citing experts from the American analytical firm Bernstein, reported on March 27 that Trump's announced imposition of duties on all cars and trucks could lead to €11 billion in losses for German automakers. According to experts, the overall drop in profits will depend on the duration of the duties.

On March 26, Trump announced the introduction of 25 percent duties in the United States on all cars and trucks manufactured outside the country. He specified that these measures will come into force on April 2 and will be added to the existing ones. The White House estimates that approximately $100 billion in annual duties will be collected.