Apple CEO Tim Cook with U.S. President Donald Trump during a meeting of the American Technology Council on June 19, 2017.

President Donald Trump likes Apple CEO Tim Cook. But it's not necessarily because he's running a big and successful business. Rather, Trump said Cook calls him "whenever there is a problem."

"That's why he's a great executive," Trump told reporters on Wednesday outside the White House. "Because he calls me and others don't."

Last week, Cook joined Trump for dinner at the Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, New Jersey. Their warm relationship stands in stark contrast to Trump's position on other top executives, whom he frequently antagonizes.

"Others go out and hire very expensive consultants," Trump said. "Tim Cook calls Donald Trump directly."

Cook may be willing to reach out because Apple has a lot at stake when it comes to policy decisions. The company does the majority of its final device assembly in China, putting products such as the iPhone at risk when the Trump administration announces tariffs on Chinese imports. Trump has said he wants Apple to make its products in the U.S.

Apple's iPhone was in line to get a 10% tariff starting Sept. 1, before Trump announced a temporary reprieve for laptops and cellphones, pushing the start date for the duties back to Dec. 15.

According to Trump, Cook recently argued that the 10% tariff would be unfair to Apple, especially compared with its primary competitor Samsung, which does most of its manufacturing in South Korea. Trump suggested on Wednesday that Cook directly influenced the administration's decision to waive the tariff on cellphones and laptops.

"The problem was that Samsung, a competitor, his competitor, wouldn't be paying tariffs, and Tim Cook would," Trump said. "I gotta help him out short-term, because it's a great American company."

Apple didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.