NBC published an article titled “Trump Now Uses an iPhone — Despite Once Calling for an Apple Boycott” to attack the president for switching from his potentially vulnerable Android handset to an iPhone.
The article begins by directly stating that the reason for President Trump’s switch to the Apple-made handset is for security reasons: “President Donald Trump is finally using an Apple iPhone, despite once calling for a boycott of the company’s products, after concerns that the Android handset he was reportedly using was unsecured.”
“A number of reports have suggested Trump was using a Samsung Galaxy S3 running Google’s Android operating system, a point which has never officially been confirmed,” the article notes. “The New York Times reported in January that the phone was unsecured. This means that it is vulnerable to hackers, something of great concern because the president of the U.S. would be a key hacking target.”
The article then focuses on Trump’s use of the more secure Apple device, citing the president’s past criticism of the iPhone manufacturer for refusing to unlock the phone of San Bernardino terrorist Syed Rizwan Farook. “During a campaign rally last year, Trump called for people to boycott Apple products because the technology giant refused to unlock the iPhone involved in the San Bernardino shootings. In this case, the FBI asked Apple to unlock a phone belonging to the San Bernardino shooter. Apple Chief Executive Tim Cook called the order “chilling” and did not assist.”
“During a campaign rally last year, Trump called for people to boycott Apple products because the technology giant refused to unlock the iPhone involved in the San Bernardino shootings,” NBC notes. “In this case, the FBI asked Apple to unlock a phone belonging to the San Bernardino shooter. Apple Chief Executive Tim Cook called the order ‘chilling’ and did not assist.”
President Trump, of course, has in the past used the products of many companies with whom he disagrees, directly naming Coca-Cola at one point in a tweet.
President Trump’s decision to use a more secure mobile phone seems to be a step in the right direction considering the issues surrounding cyber security that were raised during the election. However, NBC appears to cast President Trump’s decision to better protect himself from cyber attacks as a sign of hypocrisy.