Apple CEO calls for "deescalation" after talks with Trump on Minneapolis killing

Apple Inc. Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook said he discussed recent fatal shootings by federal agents in Minneapolis with US President Donald Trump, as public anger grows over the incidents and pressure mounts on corporate leaders to respond.

“I had a good conversation with the president this week where I shared my views, and I appreciate his openness to engaging on issues that matter to us all,” Cook wrote in an internal memo to Apple employees that was later posted on the company’s website, Bloomberg reveals. 

Cook said he was “heartbroken” by the January 24 killing of ICU nurse Alex Pretti, who was shot by a US Border Patrol agent in Minneapolis. The incident has sparked public outcry across the United States and statements of support for local residents from organisations including the National Basketball Players Association. It followed another fatal shooting in the city days earlier, in which an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent killed a woman during a separate confrontation.

“This is a time for deescalation,” Cook wrote. “I believe America is strongest when we live up to our highest ideals, when we treat everyone with dignity and respect no matter who they are or where they’re from.”

President Trump echoed calls for calm on January 27, saying he was seeking to “deescalate” tensions in Minnesota by reshuffling leadership overseeing deportation efforts in the state. He dispatched border czar Tom Homan to Minnesota, effectively replacing Greg Bovino, the US Border Patrol commander who had become a prominent figure in the immigration crackdown in Minneapolis.

By Sabina Mammadli