Trump defends 'Tim Apple' comment, says he was saving time

US President Donald Trump talks to Apple CEO Tim Cook. A day after Trump referred to Cook at Tim Apple, Cook changed his Twitter account, replacing his last name with the Apple logo. Photo / AP

US President Donald Trump says he didn't slip up when he referred to Apple CEO Tim Cook as "Tim Apple" at a White House meeting.

Trump tweeted Monday: "I quickly referred to Tim + Apple as Tim/Apple as an easy way to save time & words. The Fake News was disparagingly all over this, & it became yet another bad Trump story!"

At a recent round table meeting of business executives, & long after formally introducing Tim Cook of Apple, I quickly referred to Tim + Apple as Tim/Apple as an easy way to save time & words. The Fake News was disparagingly all over this, & it became yet another bad Trump story!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 11, 2019

Trump made the comment last week. After the session, Cook altered his Twitter profile, replacing his last name with the Apple logo.

At a dinner for Republican National Committee donors at his Florida club Friday, Trump complained that his "Tim Apple" flub was "fake news," said a person who heard them and spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss Trump's remarks. Trump's complaint was first reported by Axios.

- AP