It's one of the core critiques of capitalism that companies are unethical and profit maximizing, caring only about shareholders, not stakeholders. Kowtowing to liars or autocrats to remain in their good graces is cowardice and enabling and we shouldn't justify everything because it's good for economics. We should hold these public companies to higher standards, and that includes taking actions to get into the good graces of political cronies.
Tim Cook doesn’t have an excuse though.
People tend to give Tim Cook a mulligan on China, because quite frankly, President Xi could almost destroy them, but Trump holds no such absolute power over them in the US, and they should be well within their power to push back and correct the administration for falsehoods, whether or not iPhone owners who happen to be Trump supporters like it or not.
I suspect they'll complain, but keep buying iPhones. Very few people are going to change their OS platform because of a political spat.
