BANNED

Turkish President Starts Boycott of U.S. Electronic Goods

Urged Turks to give up their iPhones for Samsung.

The president of Turkey urged his countrymen to swap their iPhones for Samsung devices as he announced a boycott of America electronic goods. Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is locked in a dispute with Donald Trump over U.S. sanctions imposed as a punishment for the detention of an American evangelical pastor. Last week, Trump announced he was doubling tariffs on Turkey’s steel and aluminum. Responding angrily Tuesday, Erdoğan said: “We will boycott U.S. electronic products. If they have iPhone, the other side has Samsung. In our country there is Venus, Vestel [the Turkish smartphone brands].” He went on to say: “They do not refrain from using the economy as a weapon against us, as they tried in the areas of diplomacy, military, or efforts for social and political instability.” U.S. pastor Andrew Brunson, whose jailing over spying allegations sparked the latest crisis, said through his lawyer Tuesday that he was appealing his house arrest and travel ban.