Tim Cook meets with President Trump at the White House

AppleInsider

Apple CEO Tim Cook met with President Donald Trump on Thursday morning, likely to discuss the import tariff situation and US manufacturing.

Tim Cook arriving at the White House on November 20

There's little detail about the visit, as first reported by Edward Lawrence at Fox Business. However, there are obvious topics of discussion between the two men, with billions of dollars on the line.

Cook was spotted on his way into the White House at about 10:10 AM Eastern Time on Thursday. He departed about 45 minutes later, telling the gathered cameras nothing more than he had a "great meeting" with the President.

FOX Business Cameras caught Apple CEO Tim Cook on asking into the White House about 10 minutes ago. #Apple #WhiteHouse pic.twitter.com/CONgQhI3bG

-- Edward Lawrence (@EdwardLawrence)

February 20, 2025

Cook's main concern is very likely the tariff situation. Trump has promised to levy big import taxes on devices manufactured in China -- and the iPhone is a key product that will see tariffs.

A report on Thursday claimed that the iPhone would have to increase in price by 9% to offset the import tariffs, which are paid by the importing company, not the country making the devices. These costs are typically passed on to the customer, as Acer is implementing now.

US manufacture is also a likely topic of discussion. Notably, the Mac Pro is still assembled in Texas -- but the tides may be turning at least in part.

Tim Cook (left), Donald Trump (right), in a previous meeting at the White House

In 2021, Apple noted that 48 of its 180 suppliers moved operations to the US. Given Apple's California focus, over 30 of them were in California, with 8 in 2020.

China remains the dominant country for Apple's supply chain, hosting approximately 150 out of its 180 suppliers. These suppliers are responsible for making chips, screens, camera parts, and motors.

And, majority of iPhone, Mac, and other devices are manufactured overseas, particularly in China. But during the Biden Administration, the Chips Act saw Apple processor supplier TSMC getting vast subsidies to build plants in the US.

Trump is no longer a fan of chip maker subsidies in the US. That may also be a topic of conversation.

The visit is likely to be one of many over the next four years. Reportedly, Apple visited the White House 87 times during Biden's term, with 11 of them including Cook himself.



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blastdoor

We are likely to soon find out if these tariffs are a shakedown for bribes or if Trump is really serious about them. 

I used to think they were mostly a shakedown but now I think he might be serious 

apple4thewin

Is this a somewhat decent live photo of Tim Cook? Minus the blurriness, this is the most normal photo of him. I’m so used to the grumpy and sad photos of him. 🤣

harrytro

I wouldn't smile if I were sitting next to this human disaster.

nubus

Cook deserves every cent of his salary. All the best to him and the team at Apple.

foregoneconclusion

blastdoor said:

We are likely to soon find out if these tariffs are a shakedown for bribes or if Trump is really serious about them. 

I used to think they were mostly a shakedown but now I think he might be serious 

Trump was serious about tariffs in his 1st term and all it resulted in was gigantic taxpayer funded bailouts for the farming industry. Talk about inefficiency and waste…


https://www.forbes.com/sites/stuartanderson/2020/01/21/trump-tariff-aid-to-farmers-cost-more-than-us-nuclear-forces/

cpsro

Harrytro said:

I wouldn't smile if I were sitting next to this human disaster.

Tim Apple and Donald Fraud

mknelson

"Don't tariff me, bro!"

winstoner71

Hopefully Timmy brought his “Tariffs For Dummies” book. The one with lots of pictures since tRump doesn’t read. 

dewme

Tim will likely be asked about how long it will take to reopen the Apple Stores in Russia. He’ll then be given a deadline to make it happen. No, I’m not joking. 

applezulu

I don't envy Cook's position. Likely his only negotiation tools short of outright bribery are flattery and somehow convincing the president that Apple's interests are not only his own interests but preferably his idea as well. Maybe he could offer to make a premium gold colored "iPhone 17 T."

randominternetperson

Brrr. At 10am it was 18 degrees here in the nation's capital. Siri should have suggested he pack an overcoat.

And kudos for the AI community for not going off the rails and not forcing the editors to lock this thread. 4 hours and counting!

edited February 20

godofbiscuitssf

blastdoor said:

We are likely to soon find out if these tariffs are a shakedown for bribes or if Trump is really serious about them. 

I used to think they were mostly a shakedown but now I think he might be serious 

You're missing the point of a shakedown:  you pick and choose whom you shake down.  Without putting the hurt on *some*, you can't appear serious to those you truly expect to *pay*.  That's why Trump likes tariffs.  He can impose them on those he just hates, and can easily declare executive carve-outs for "national interest special cases" wherever he sees fit.

godofbiscuitssf

nubus said:

Cook deserves every cent of his salary. All the best to him and the team at Apple.

There are average Americans living paycheck to paycheck that have a lot more to deal with because of Trump than 45 minutes twice a year face to face who deserve more recompense than Cook does.

itguyinsd

So if it's paid by the country importing the products, it's really a tariff on the USA.  All hail the King!  

itguyinsd

godofbiscuitssf said:

k2kw said:

foregoneconclusion said:

blastdoor said:

We are likely to soon find out if these tariffs are a shakedown for bribes or if Trump is really serious about them. 

I used to think they were mostly a shakedown but now I think he might be serious 

Trump was serious about tariffs in his 1st term and all it resulted in was gigantic taxpayer funded bailouts for the farming industry. Talk about inefficiency and waste…


https://www.forbes.com/sites/stuartanderson/2020/01/21/trump-tariff-aid-to-farmers-cost-more-than-us-nuclear-forces/

That’s because democrats were stupid enough to vote for their bailouts.

well, that took almost no time at all:  Republican action, Democrats to blame for it.

Quite a coincidence that all the actions by Republicans that are bad are the fault of Democrats.   I wonder if I'll still be alive the day Republicans actually take responsibility for their unfortunate choices?

edited February 20

whittonm

Maybe Trump will ask for Truth Social replace Facebook, Twitter, and Reddit in the Apple Store and Apple pays Untruth Social $5 a month per person for the privilege of being exempted from Tariffs.  Also, Russia's RT should be the featured news source in Apple News and first on the menu in Apple TV.  

alexeyv

dewme said:

Tim will likely be asked about how long it will take to reopen the Apple Stores in Russia. He’ll then be given a deadline to make it happen. No, I’m not joking. 

There have never been Apple Stores in Russia. So, nothing to close, nothing to reopen. 

9secondkox2

Good on Tim. If tariffs must happen, best work with the President to navigate through it. 

Trump has been sympathetic to Apple. VP Vance even went to bat for American companies and human rights IN EUROPE directly to their faces in a gutsy move, so I think it’s obvious this admin is very pro-corporations - and pro Apple, who also has taken public stands for human rights. 

I think Apple is in good hands, Cook is doing a great job, and the current administration knows how to run things well. It’s a good match. I’m not worried about Apple at all. They’ll figure it out and ensure Americans and American companies succeed. 

I do wonder if there aren’t some additional deals being made, tax breaks, tariff bypass, etc. for Apple to do more in terms of production in their homeland. I can see that happening. The Mac Pro made sense before. Perhaps other products can work as well. 

Also, would be really cool to see the government do a deal to switch over to Apple computing in offices, military, etc on a large scale. 

nobber

I hope Tim put the cash in an envelope with the logo on it.  Donny gets so many you want to be sure Apple gets on the exempt list.

appleish

My family have talked and we should be good with all of our current Apple products for the next four years. If we really need a replacement, we'll get something refurbished, but not from Apple.

See you on the other side, Apple. Hope it was worth it for you.