Trump says he spoke with Apple’s Tim Cook about tariffs, Samsung

President Trump on Sunday said he met over the weekend with Apple CEO Tim Cook and the two discussed tariffs and the impact they are having on the company.

Speaking to reporters as he was leaving his Bedminster, N.J., golf club on his way back to Washington, D.C., Trump said Cook made a “good case” regarding Samsung’s avoidance of tariffs, which Trump has imposed on China.

{mosads}“Samsung is [Apple’s] No. 1 competitor, and Samsung is not paying tariffs because they’re based in South Korea,” Trump said. “It’s tough for Apple to pay tariffs if they are competing with a very good company that’s not.”

NEW: Pres. Trump said he met with Apple CEO Tim Cook in Bedminster, adding that Cook “made a very compelling argument” that tariffs are making it hard for Apple to compete with companies like Samsung. “I’m thinking about it.” https://t.co/TVq7yKJSle pic.twitter.com/LktWUkkJdt

— ABC News (@ABC) August 18, 2019

Trump added that he thought Cook made “a very compelling argument” that it would be difficult for the U.S.-based tech giant to pay tariffs because one of its major competitors is largely avoiding them.

Trump said previously that he was meeting with Cook in New Jersey last Friday. The dinner came after Trump announced he would levy 10 percent tariffs on an additional $300 billion in goods imported from China.

Having dinner tonight with Tim Cook of Apple. They will be spending vast sums of money in the U.S. Great!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 16, 2019

The tariffs were set to take effect next month, but many have since been delayed until December over concerns about how they could impact the holiday shopping season.

Consumer electronics such as cellphones were among the products tariffs were delayed on, though other Apple products such as some computers and AirPods will still be affected. Apple is slated to release a new iPhone next month.