Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump said he received a call from Apple CEO Tim Cook about concerns about fines imposed by the European Union on the iPhone maker.
Apple did not respond to requests to confirm the authenticity of the calls.
European regulators have launched a series of investigations into big tech companies in recent years, with the aim of curbing their power and ensuring a level playing field with smaller rivals. .
“He (Cook) called me two or three hours ago,” Trump said while speaking with podcaster Patrick Bett-David on Thursday’s show. “He said the European Union fined us $15 billion. … Then they fined us another $2 billion from the European Union,” Trump said on the phone call with Cook. He added, quoting his words.
Last month, Apple lost a long legal battle with the European Union and was forced to pay Ireland 13 billion euros ($14.08 billion) in additional taxes as part of a broader crackdown. The company was slapped with a $2 billion antitrust fine by the European Union earlier this year for hindering competition from music streaming rivals through App Store restrictions.
“Tim, first I have to get elected. …But I’m not going to let them take advantage of our company. That’s not going to happen,” Trump said on the nearly 90-minute podcast. He quoted himself saying this to Mr. Cook during the appearance.
Trump and Democrat Kamala Harris are in a close race in the November 5 presidential election.
