Donald Trump Calls For Boycott Of Apple, Continues To Tweet From His iPhone

GOP Frontrunner Literally Has No Idea What He’s Talking About, Admits He ‘Just Thought of It’

Donald Trump today announced that he wants America to boycott Apple in the wake of the multi-billion dollar corporation’s refusal to unlock an iPhone that had been used by Syed Farook, the San Bernardino shooter responsible for the deaths of 14 people. The FBI has now ordered Apple to not only unlock the phone, but dismantle the automatic security system that erases all data after ten unsuccessful attempts to unlock it. Apple, saying what the FBI wants would create “a dangerous precedent,” also says the FBI is demanding they “build a backdoor to the iPhone,” and create a new and separate operating system, all of which it is refusing to do.

But to Donald Trump, it’s just a simple matter of handing over a number – which is incorrect. There are also extensive civil liberty arguments to consider, which all Americans should e concerned about.

“What I think you ought to do is boycott Apple until such time as they give that security number,” Trump told a South Carolina audience Friday afternoon.

“How do you like that? I just thought of that. Boycott Apple.”

He then accused Apple CEO Tim Cook of “looking to do a big number, probably to show how liberal he is.” Later, Trump claimed, the “phone is owned by the government.”

Of course, Trump’s rhetoric is easy and comes at no personal inconvenience. He was still tweeting from his own iPhone as late as this afternoon. The Washington Post reports Trump “is still tweeting from his iPhone, despite having called on the public to abandon Apple amid its ongoing fight with the Justice Department.”

In fact, that’s true. Here’s a screenshot of a tweet Trump posted at 4 PM EST today, well after his call for a boycott:

Apple says “the FBI wants us to make a new version of the iPhone operating system, circumventing several important security features, and install it on an iPhone recovered during the investigation. In the wrong hands, this software — which does not exist today — would have the potential to unlock any iPhone in someone’s physical possession.”

Mashable explains exactly what the FBI really wants:

As for his hypocritical call for a boycott of Apple while then continuing to use Apple, Trump of course has that covered, sort of…

Edward Snowden weighed in:

Voters should consider that Trump has essentially zero understanding of what the federal government is demanding from Apple, or that other companies like Google and Twitter support Apple’s position. He has zero understanding of the civil rights and civil liberties surrounding the demand, or their implications. And he then “just thinks” of the boycott and shouts it out, with zero consideration for its ramifications.

Do Americans really want a person like this with the nuclear launch codes?

 

Image: Screenshot via CNBC/Twitter