For U.S. President Donald Trump, there would be few bigger victories than having a domestically produced version of the iPhone, one of the most popular tech products in history. Such a prize would validate his tariff plan and campaign promise to bring manufacturing jobs back to America.

And the administration clearly feels this is an achievable goal, especially in the face of the 145% tariffs that it aims to impose on imports from China, Apple's current manufacturing hub. The company also has vowed to invest $500 billion domestically over the next four years.

This week, the White House made its stance clear: Trump wants Apple to begin building the device in the U.S.