The President of the United States, Donald Trump, met with Apple Inc. CEO Tim Cook at the White House on Thursday, February 20, according to sources close to the meeting. Despite the initial closeness between them after Trump's reelection, it is expected that the technology company will not escape potential new tariffs imposed by the president.
Tim Cook is one of the tech industry leaders who has sought to maintain a friendly relationship with Trump since he took office for his second term. Cook has expressed interest in collaborating with the administration to continue driving innovation and creativity in the United States.
However, differences have not been lacking in the relationship between Trump and Apple. The president has expressed disagreement with the company's privacy policies, mentioning that it should cooperate more with federal law enforcement to access encrypted devices.
The trade dispute between the United States and China adds additional pressure on Apple, as tariffs imposed by Trump on Chinese products could negatively impact the company, which has seen a slowdown in iPhone sales. China is also considering investigating Apple's practices, including the fees it charges app developers.
During Trump's first term, Cook managed to obtain some tariff exemptions for the iPhone, thanks to his relationship with the president. However, Apple's resistance to creating a backdoor in its devices to allow authorities access to data has been a source of conflict, as the company argues that this could compromise user security.
