Donald Trump said he got a call from Apple’s boss Tim Cook. Cook was worried about the EU’s fines on Apple. The EU told Apple to pay Ireland €13bn in taxes. Trump talked about the call in a podcast. He mentioned a $15bn fine and another $2bn fine from the EU. Apple and Ireland had a tax dispute. The EU said Ireland gave Apple special tax treatment. Cook called the EU fines “political”. The EU also fined Apple €1.8bn for music rules. Trump mentioned Cook talking about the EU using fine money for things. The EU fines help pay for EU activities. Trump said he won’t let the EU take advantage of US companies. He’s trying to get elected. Tech leaders like Elon Musk have supported Trump. They think the EU’s rules for tech companies are too strict. The EU has rules like GDPR and DMA. These aim to control big tech firms and protect users. Apple is concerned about the impact of these rules.
