NYT: "Now the Top Target of the White House"
Apple CEO Tim Cook, who had maintained a good relationship with U.S. President Donald Trump since the beginning of Trump’s first term, has recently fallen out of favor. According to a report by the New York Times (NYT) on May 26 (local time), Cook drew Trump’s ire after refusing to accompany the president on his recent trip to the Middle East.
Citing two sources, the NYT reported that ahead of President Trump’s trip to the Middle East from May 13 to 16, the White House encouraged several American corporate CEOs to join the delegation, but Cook declined the invitation. The report stated that Trump appeared angered by this decision and criticized Cook multiple times during the trip.
At an event in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, President Trump praised Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, remarking, “Tim Cook isn’t here, but you are.” In Qatar, Trump commented, “There was a bit of an issue with Tim Cook.”
President Trump also threatened to impose a 25% tariff on Apple. On May 23, he stated on his social media platform Truth Social, “I told Tim Cook, the Apple CEO, a long time ago that I want iPhones sold in the United States to be manufactured in America, not in India or any other country. Otherwise, Apple will have to pay a minimum 25% tariff.”
During Trump’s first administration, Cook built a good relationship with the president by speaking with him directly by phone and meeting for meals. He even personally lobbied to secure an exemption for iPhones from tariffs.
The NYT pointed out that while Cook had been one of Trump’s most favored CEOs over the past eight years, he has now become one of the White House’s top targets. The report also noted that Cook’s external influence appears to have weakened as Apple faces a series of challenges.
Nu Wexler, who previously led policy communications at Google and Facebook, assessed that the highly public relationship between Cook and Trump has backfired. He stated, “Because every move, including the possibility of concessions from President Trump, is being closely scrutinized, Apple is at a disadvantage. With little incentive for President Trump to take a conciliatory approach toward Apple or to reach an agreement on tariffs, there is a greater likelihood that he will apply strong pressure on the company.”
Apple and the White House did not respond to requests for comment regarding Cook’s refusal to join President Trump’s trip to the Middle East.
Recently, Apple has been facing difficulties both internally and externally, in addition to tariff concerns. Last month, the company lost a lawsuit over App Store payment fees, and legendary designer Jony Ive, who left in 2019 after falling out with Cook, has recently joined OpenAI. In March, Apple announced a delay in the release of some core features of its AI-powered voice assistant Siri, raising concerns about its competitiveness in artificial intelligence.
Meanwhile, the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported on May 23 that Cook had frequently called and held meetings with the White House last week, suggesting that he may have made a new proposal for a “peace negotiation” with President Trump.
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