Donald Trump calls for boycott of Apple now

“Boycott Apple until such time as they give that information,” Trump said at a campaign event in Pawleys Island, South Carolina. “It just occurred to me.” 

Trump, front-runner for the Republican nomination ahead of the November 8 presidential election, made the off-the-cuff comment at a town hall-style event at a country club, a day before the state’s nominating contest. 

Even as he was still speaking, Trump’s campaign posted on his Twitter handle (@real Donald Trump) from an iPhone, with the time stamp labeled “via Twitter for iPhone.”

Trump later posted on Twitter that he used both an iPhone and a Samsung (005930.KS) device. In response, senior Apple executives, on a call with reporters on Friday, said they felt they were in good company given the other groups and people Trump has criticised in the past. They defended encryption as a way to protect Apple customers’ rights.