Tim Cook may not be a Republican when it comes to voting, but that didn’t stop him from bonding with Donald Trump while he was in the White House and even after his term. According to a recent statement by Donald Trump, when Apple was fined 17 billion euros by the European Union, Cook called Donald Trump for advice and to complain!
Tim Cook kept in touch with Donald Trump
In a recent interview on Patrick Bet-David’s PBD podcast, broadcast on YouTube, Donald Trump revealed that he had a telephone exchange with Tim Cook regarding the recent financial sanctions imposed on Apple by the European Union. According to Trump, this appeal focused mainly on the hefty €13 billion fine that the EU imposed on Apple for unpaid taxes in Ireland. As a reminder, Apple had been exempt from taxes by Ireland for several years, something which should not have been the case.
Although Donald Trump and Tim Cook (or Tim Apple, the nickname given by Trump) are not close friends, the former president clarified that the two men still maintain a respectful professional relationship, consulting each other regularly on business matters. Trump showed some pride in having Tim Cook, one of the world’s most influential business leaders, seeking his advice on complex situations, such as European sanctions.
During their discussion, Tim Cook reportedly expressed his dissatisfaction with the fine imposed by the EU, he even went so far as to accuse the European Union of using these sanctions to finance its own activities, a criticism that the CEO had never made publicly until today. It seems that Cook saw these repeated sanctions as a form of targeting large American companies with a certain amount of cash. Everyone knows the “war chest” that Apple has.
Donald Trump promised that the European Union will stop repetitive fines if he is re-elected
Trump reassured Cook that if he were re-elected president on November 5, he would systematically intervene to prevent the EU from imposing multibillion-dollar financial sanctions. For the former president, these fines which frequently target tech giants like Apple are a source of concern. Donald Trump believes that the President of the United States must protect American companies from this type of sanctions.
The fact that Trump publicly discusses this exchange is also a way for him to demonstrate the influence he continues to exercise in circles of economic power, an influence that Kamala Harris does not necessarily have.
(At 46 minutes into the video below)
