President Trump says Apple CEO Tim Cook is the only tech executive who actually calls him directly

Jim Lo Scalzo and the Associated Press (Pool)

• President Trump speaks with Apple CEO Tim Cook because he calls him personally rather than hiring consultants to do so, Trump told reporters on Wednesday.
• Trump also referenced the recent conversation he had with Cook about how the tariffs on Chinese imports could impact Apple's ability to compete with Samsung.
• Cook and Trump have met several times over the past year amidst an ongoing trade war between the United States and China.
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President Trump said he takes calls from Apple CEO Tim Cook for a very simple reason: because he actually calls.

"He calls me and the others don't," Trump said when speaking to reporters on Wednesday, as seen in a video from Fox Business. "Others go out and hire very expensive consultants, and Tim Cook calls Donald Trump directly. Pretty good."

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Trump added that he would speak with others if they were to call, but Cook is the only one that does. "Whenever there's a problem, he'll call," Trump said, in reference to Cook.

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He also referenced a recent conversation between himself and Cook about the impact that tariffs on Chinese imports would have on Apple - especially considering the company's main competitor Samsung wouldn't be subject to the same tariffs. Samsung is headquartered in South Korea, with which Trump signed a trade agreement last year.

"I gotta help him out short term with that problem," Trump said on Wednesday. "Because it's a great American company."

Trump's latest round of tariffs on an additional $300 billion in Chinese goods will go into effect on September 1. Products such as the Apple Watch, HomePod, and AirPods are said to be impacted immediately, while other products like Apple's MacBooks and iPhones will not face tariffs until December 15.

The Apple CEO has met with Trump several times over the past year amidst the trade war between the United States and China. Trump tweeted on August 16, for example, that he was having dinner with Cook that evening.

Trump's stance toward Apple marks a notable departure from the remarks he's made about other American tech giants, particularly Facebook, Alphabet subsidiary Google, and Twitter, which he's accused of bias and censorship on multiple occasions.