Trump said Cook “made a good case” that tariffs could hurt Apple, given that Samsung’s products would not be subject to those same tariffs.

Tariffs on an additional $300 billion worth of Chinese goods, including consumer electronics, are scheduled to go into effect in two stages on Sept. 1 and Dec. 15.

The United States and South Korea struck a trade agreement last September.

“I thought he made a very compelling argument, so I’m thinking about it”, Trump said of Cook, speaking with reporters at a New Jersey airport.

Apple’s MacBook laptops and iPhones would not face the additional tariffs until 15 December but some of the company’s other products, including its AirPods, Apple Watch and HomePod, would be subject to the levies on 1 September.