U.S. airlines have asked Trump to punish Gulf carriers such as Emirates, Etihad Airways, and Qatar Airways, which they say are unfairly subsidized.

Looks like it could just be a way for Trump to punish airlines that are subsidized by their respective countries. Nothing to do with safety. A bomb can be controlled via a cell phone as easily as via a computer or laptop, so there appears to be no safety reason for this ban.

Source: Donald Trump’s Muslim Laptop Ban Could Be a Protectionist Scheme

PLUS it could be risking lives in favor of profit! Seems that storing all those devices in the hull with their lithium batteries puts the passengers are greater risk than having them in the cabin where passengers would know if they have caught on fire and an so something about it.

Source: US electronics ban for Middle East flights endangers passengers for profit