Talking at a press convention Friday, California Legal professional Basic Rob Bonta mentioned he’s “ready to sue if applicable” after President Trump threatened to slap Apple with a 25% tariff until the corporate strikes its iPhone manufacturing to the U.S.
Answering a query by a Politico reporter at an occasion with native enterprise leaders, Bonta mentioned:
We undoubtedly will assess our potential function. We’ll be monitoring what he does, if he does something, and we’ll be sure that if the legislation is damaged and now we have standing to sue, we’ll take applicable motion.
Bonta was reacting to Trump’s submit earlier that morning on Reality Social, wherein the president pressed Apple CEO Tim Cook dinner to start out manufacturing the iPhone within the U.S., “not in India, or anyplace else”.
Later within the day, Trump mentioned the identical 25% tariff would apply to “Samsung and every other firm that makes that product or it might not be honest.”
Bonta added:
The assertion about Apple is one thing that’s clearly disappointing. (…) It’s nearly like he wakes up within the morning and he says, ‘Hey, I feel Apple ought to construct extra Apple telephones,’ and so possibly I’ll inform their CEO that he ought to try this. After which possibly tomorrow, he wakes up and says, ‘Hey, I used to be simply kidding.’
The AG, who has beforehand focused Huge Tech over privateness and monopoly considerations, mentioned his workplace will study the authorized foundation for any tariff motion stemming from Trump’s menace and can monitor whether or not it targets a single firm or applies extra broadly.
It’s due to corporations like Apple that California has turn out to be the fourth-largest financial system on the earth,” he mentioned. “We’re pleased with California corporations, and we wish to ensure that their rights aren’t violated—particularly by the president of the US, which isn’t one thing that you’d usually have to guard in opposition to.
Apple, for its half, hasn’t commented on the menace. The corporate’s inventory closed down 3% final Friday, including to every week that had already been unkind to its buyers.
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