Former U.S. President Donald Trump has claimed to have received a phone call from Tim Cook, the CEO of Apple, expressing concerns about the financial sanctions imposed by the European Union. These claims were reported by the BBC.
During an interview on BBC’s podcast hosted by Patrick Bet-David, Trump mentioned that Cook expressed worries about the fines imposed on Apple for violating EU regulations. He noted that Apple was required to pay a hefty sum of up to thirteen billion euros, equivalent to fourteen billion dollars, to Ireland in September last year for unpaid taxes.
Trump further stated that Cook mentioned an additional fine of fifteen billion dollars from the EU, prompting Trump to respond, “That’s a lot.” In September, Apple and the Irish government engaged in a lengthy legal dispute, with the EU’s top court ruling that Ireland had unlawfully granted Apple tax benefits.
Cook described the court’s decision as political, indicating that the court fined Apple eight hundred million euros in March for breaching music streaming service rules. In his comments, Trump clarified that Cook mentioned the EU using fine money to fund commercial projects.
According to the European Commission website, antitrust fines paid by companies go into the general budget, helping fund the EU to ease the burden on taxpayers. Trump told Cook that he would not allow the EU to exploit American companies, but he needed to win the elections first.
It’s worth noting that Trump is aiming to attract prominent tech figures in his election campaign. He confirmed talking to Elon Musk, a strategic supporter, and having conversations with Sundar Pichai, CEO of Google, earlier in the week. He mentioned multiple calls with Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Meta, in August.
On the other hand, Elon Musk and other tech company heads criticized the EU’s approach to regulating their platforms. The EU has set rules that companies must adhere to provide their digital products and services in the region. Apple claimed that opening its services to third parties, including the App Store as required by the Digital Markets Act, could be harmful to users.
The EU’s Artificial Intelligence Act has raised concerns among some tech companies regarding regulating products based on their risks. Nick Clegg, an executive at Meta, stated that EU uncertainty is the reason for delaying the launch of AI products in Europe. Additionally, Apple mentioned that its AI features will not be immediately available on iPhone devices in EU countries.
