Donald Trump on Friday called for a boycott against Apple until the technology giant helps the FBI break into the iPhone of one of the San Bernardino shooters.
“Boycott Apple until such time as they give that information,” Trump told a crowded room of supporters during a town hall-style event here just one day before the South Carolina GOP primary.
“Apple ought to give the security for that phone, OK. What I think you ought to do is boycott Apple until such a time as they give that security number. How do you like that? I just thought of it. Boycott Apple,” Trump said.
“The phone’s not even owned by this young thug that killed all these people. The phone’s owned by the government, OK, it’s not even his phone,” Trump said. “But (Apple CEO) Tim Cook is looking to do a big number, probably to show how liberal he is. But Apple should give up, they should get the security or find other people.
While Trump was speaking, his Twitter account tweeted a Fox News poll from an iPhone. Later Friday, he tweeted, “I use both iPhone & Samsung. If Apple doesn’t give info to authorities on the terrorists I’ll only be using Samsung until they give info.”
Soon after, he tweeted, “Boycott all Apple products until such time as Apple gives cellphone info to authorities regarding radical Islamic terrorist couple from Cal.”
A senior Apple executive said the tech giant is in fine company based on other people Trump has attacked. The executive said the company is fighting on behalf of its customers.
Trump’s comments come days after Cook said in an open letter that his company was opposing a federal judge’s order to provide the FBI with security software to break into one of the San Bernardino terrorist’s iPhones.
Cook argued in his open letter that complying with the judge’s order would build “a backdoor to the iPhone,” which Cook said he considers “too dangerous to create.”
Trump is no stranger to calling for boycotts of Fortune 500 companies. He also previously called for a boycott of Macy’s after the retail giant pulled Trump’s line of clothing from its stores due to Trump’s heated rhetoric over undocumented Mexican immigrants.