A report by Politico revealed that Apple has informed Republican leaders that it will not be supporting the party's presidential convention this year. The reason behind this are the controversial comments that presumptive nominee Donald Trump has made toward immigrants, minorities and women.
Apple has supported the event in the past, but for this year, the company has decided that it will withhold donating cash or technology, according to a pair of sources familiar with the company's plans.
The decision of Apple to withdraw support from the Republican party's convention due to Donald Trump shows the widening gap between the presidential nominee and the tech industry. Trump has been vocally against certain aspects of the industry, with much of his criticism being placed on Apple, its CEO Tim Cook and the company's push for encryption.
Trump has previously also called for a boycott on the products of the company. This was in connection with the legal battle between Apple and the FBI over the removal of the encryption on the iPhone of one of the shooters of last year's San Bernardino incident.
Apple has courted Republicans in the past, but the company may have found Trump's comments too extreme. It is not clear if Apple will be providing support to the Democratic presidential convention in Philadelphia in July.
Other tech companies such as Google, Facebook and Microsoft have said that they will be providing support to the event, which will also be held next month but in Cleveland. According to the companies, the support that will be provided to the events of both parties is non-partisan, with the goal being only to encourage citizens to participate in the presidential elections.
That does not mean that the companies are fine with Trump's statements though. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, for example, has vehemently opposed the approach of Trump regarding immigration.
In Apple's case, there is simply nothing shared in terms of ideologies with Trump. The presidential candidate's anti-immigration policy could hurt the recruiting efforts of the company in drawing top-flight talent from other countries, and Trump has also said that it will be forcing Apple to have its products manufactured within the United States, which will drastically hurt the company's bottom line.
In addition, while Apple has been making a big push for environmental concerns, Trump has rejected the science behind climate change. Trump has been an opponent of gay marriage, while Cook is gay and embraces the LGBT community.
Free Press Action Fund field director Mary Alice Crim has been urging tech companies to withdraw their support from the Republican presidential convention, as these companies should think twice about aligning their brands with "racism, hatred and misogyny."
