On Tuesday, President Donald Trump offered a blunt account of his relationship with Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) CEO Tim Cook.
Trump’s Comments Reveal Personal Approach To Power
Trump, in a lengthy Truth Social post, said he has long been a big admirer of Cook, as well as Apple co-founder Steve Jobs.
He added that while Apple would have succeeded under Jobs, it likely would not have reached the same level of success it achieved under Cook.
He then described how Cook reached out early in his presidency seeking help with a “fairly large problem” that only he could resolve.
“When I got the call, I said, wow, it’s Tim Apple (Cook!) calling,” Trump wrote. “I was very impressed with myself to have the head of Apple calling to ‘kiss my a**.'”
He added, “During my five years as President, Tim would call me, but never too much, and I would help him where I could.”
Apple did not immediately respond to Benzinga’s request for comments.
Apple Tariff Relief And Policy Wins
Cook’s outreach appears to have paid off. Trump’s administration, Apple secured exemptions from sweeping tariffs on products like smartphones, chips and computers—critical to its business.
Trump acknowledged he helped Cook on multiple occasions, while the White House has maintained that policies were not tailored to benefit specific companies.
Cook, who is stepping down after nearly 15 years as CEO, has long been viewed as one of Silicon Valley’s most effective political operators, maintaining direct communication with policymakers across administrations.
Apple said Cook will remain involved in engaging with global policymakers even after John Ternus takes over.
Experts Warn Of ‘Transactional’ Governance
Critics told CNBC that Trump’s remarks highlight a broader concern about how influence works in Washington.
Daniel Weiner told the publication that the comments reflect a “nakedly transactional and also nakedly personalistic approach to governing.”
Apple is not alone. Tech leaders, including Tesla Inc. (NASDAQ:TSLA) CEO Elon Musk and Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META) CEO Mark Zuckerberg, have maintained close ties with Trump through meetings, donations and public engagement.
Price Action: Apple shares closed Tuesday at $266.17, down 2.52% and ticked up 0.56% in after-hours trading to $267.65, according to Benzinga Pro.
AAPL ranks in the 98th percentile for Quality on Benzinga Edge, highlighting its strong performance across short, medium and long-term trends.
Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.
Image via Shutterstock/ Joshua Sukoff
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