President Trump said he met with Apple CEO Tim Cook about China tariffs

CUPERTINO, Calif. (KTVU) - President Donald Trump said he met with Apple CEO Tim Cook who expressed concerned about planned tariffs on Chinese goods. 

Cook is reportedly concerned that it would give his company's biggest competitor, Samsung, an edge.

While Apple's research and development is mostly done in the United States, many of its products are assembled in China.

By contrast, Samsung is based in South Korea and not subject to the 10% tax that President Trump wants to impose on China as part of an ongoing trade war. 

"I had a very good meeting with Tim Cook," Trump said while returning to the White House from his golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey on Sunday. "One of the things he made a good case is that Samsung is there number one competitor and Samsung is not paying tariffs because they're based in South Korea," 

"What I think Tim Cook was saying is we're putting a gigantic, very important American company at a competitive disadvantage with one of their largest competitors," said James McBride, financial advisor for The McBride Group.

Days before the Trump-Cook meeting, the president delayed the tariffs set to take effect Sept. 1, until December which is the key shopping season for companies like Apple. 

"That seems to be part of the President's strategy… to start easing up on the tariffs so it doesn't affect the Christmas season. It's becoming increasingly clear that the key part of the President's re-election strategy is a good economy," McBride said. 

The president offered an optimistic economic outlooks coming off a week when recession was all the talk... and a volatile stock market was blamed on the China tariffs.

He tweeted "We are doing very well with China, and talking!

"I think that the president listening to Tim Cook and Tim Cook keeping the lines of communications open with the White House is paying off for both sides," said McBride.