Apple CEO Tim Cook spoke to Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick last week about the potential impact of the tariffs on Apple’s business, The Washington Post reports Thursday citing “two people familiar with the phone call.”
Both publicly and privately, Trump has voiced opposition to pressure from certain corporate interests or allied industries, according to The Post. Advisers say he strongly dislikes the term “exemption,” viewing it as a factor that diluted the tariff policies of his first term. The Sunday following the exemption announcement, multiple administration officials clarified that electronics products would fall under semiconductor tariffs, indicating that Apple’s imports would face only a temporary exemption.
Jeff Stein, Elizabeth Dwoskin, and Cat Zakrzewski for The Washington Post:
Cook spoke with other senior officials in the White House, the people said… By the end of the week, the Trump administration agreed to exempt from import duties electronic products that Apple produces in China, an action that also granted a reprieve to other large U.S. firms, including HP and Dell.
“Tim has a very good relationship with the president and rightly so. He has been playing a very careful role in that he obviously has a huge dependency on China but is also hugely important to the U.S.,” said Wilbur Ross, who served as commerce secretary during Trump’s first term. “In general, he has a lot of respect because he’s not a public whiner, he’s not a crybaby, but comes with the real voice of reality. It’s no surprise to me that his suggestions are being well received.”
While the White House denies that the administration did any specific favors for Cook, Trump also said Monday that he “helped” the tech executive. “I speak to Tim Cook,” Trump told reporters Monday. “I helped Tim Cook recently, and that whole business.”
White House spokesman Kush Desai said that the Trump administration had not granted “any exemptions” to benefit Apple or any other company. He also said the administration’s agenda will build on existing commitments by firms such as Apple, Nvidia and the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. to manufacture more in the United States…
“Electronics are now the subject of a Section 232 investigation, a completely separate legal authority that is not up for negotiation,” Desai said. “The administration is taking a nuanced, strategic approach to combat China’s unfair trade practices and reshore the high-tech manufacturing that’s critical to our national and economic security back to the U.S.”
MacDailyNews Take: It’d be news if Cook didn’t speak with Lutnick and other senior officials in the White House regarding U.S. import tariffs.
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