US President Donald Trump has said it is ok for Apple to go to India to build its plants, but then the tech company will not be able to sell its products in America without tariffs.

Trump's remarks came as he signed multiple executive orders in the Oval Office to boost US nuclear power.

“…But I had an understanding with Tim (Cook) that he wouldn't be doing this. He said he's going to India to build plants. I said, ‘That's okay to go to India, but you're not going to sell into here without tariffs.’ And that's the way it is,” Trump said on Friday.

“We're talking about the iPhone. If they're going to sell it in America, I want it to be built in the United States,” he said.