Apple isn't losing its Trump whisperer

Tim Cook's tenure arsenic CEO is over. Apple still has an important occupation for him.

On Tuesday, John Ternus took complete from Cook arsenic CEO. Following Apple's antecedently announced succession plan, Cook is now executive president of Apple's committee of directors.

Cook, the man President Donald Trump unintentionally called "Tim Apple" successful 2019, will now prosecute "with policymakers astir the world," the tech institution antecedently said.

He's had plentifulness of acquisition pinch that, peculiarly successful an progressively mercurial Washington, wherever a tech institution tin spell from a captious partner to a nationalist information threat successful a matter of weeks (just inquire Anthropic).

Under Cook's leadership, Apple lavished Trump pinch gifts, including a typical inscribed portion of solid pinch 24-karat golden base and a custom-made $5,999 Mac Pro. Cook personally donated $1 cardinal to Trump's inauguration, and Apple donated an chartless magnitude toward the building of the White House ballroom, which will switch the now-demolished East Wing.

Trump praised Cook aft Apple announced the succession plan.

"I person ever been a large instrumentality of Tim Cook, and likewise, Steve Jobs, but if Steve was not taken from the Planet Earth truthful young, and ran the institution alternatively of Tim, the institution would person done well, but obscurity adjacent arsenic good arsenic it has nether Tim," Trump wrote connected Truth Social connected April 21.

When needed, Cook has besides handed Trump awesome announcements, including an further $100 cardinal finance successful US manufacturing.

"Today's announcement is 1 of the largest commitments successful what has go among the top finance booms successful our nation's history," Trump said successful August 2025 erstwhile Cook presented him pinch the plaque and the news of the further investment.

In the meantime, Apple has continued to manufacture iPhones overseas — contempt occasional Trump threats to curtail the believe — and has secured awesome tariff exemptions.

It doesn't mean location haven't been dust-ups. In May 2025, Trump said he told Cook he didn't want Apple building products successful India.

"I had a small problem pinch Tim Cook yesterday," Trump said astatine the time. "I said to him, 'My friend, I treated you very good. You're coming present pinch $500 billion, but now I perceive you're building each complete India."

Ternus doesn't person the aforesaid type of background.

Ternus doesn't look to person the aforesaid type of governmental background. According to national run finance records, Ternus' largest aid appears to beryllium the $5,800 he gave to Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer's run successful 2021 erstwhile Democrats held the Senate majority.

Cook has besides maintained a beingness astir the White House, from Trump's 2nd inauguration to the caller premiere of the Melania documentary. Cook has faced immoderate backlash for his narration pinch Trump, but he says he's neutral.

"What I do is I interact connected policy, not politics," Cook said successful March. "I attraction connected policy, truthful I'm very pleased that the president and the management is accessible to talk astir policy."

Steve Jobs believed that everything needed to travel from the customer experience. Apple tin proceed to trust connected Cook's knowledge of a very important customer.