Apple CEO Tim Cook has addressed criticism over his perceived proximity to the US government. Responding to the backlash, Cook said that his engagement is focused on policy rather than politics. In a recent interview with Michael Strahan on Cook responded to questions about his attendance at US President Donald Trump’s inauguration, a screening of the “Melania” documentary, and a US-made glass plaque that Apple gifted Trump in 2025.
Cook said, responding to criticism over his close ties with the Trump administration.
Cook’s response comes after he faced criticism from some Apple customers and employees over his presence at a documentary screening of the US First Lady, Melania Trump, earlier this year. Some customers called for a boycott on social media, while The Intercept reported that some employees shared negative reactions in internal Slack messages.
In addition, Cook personally donated $1 million to Trump’s inaugural committee in January 2025, according to a Federal Election Commission filing.
He has previously held fundraisers for politicians on both sides of the aisle, including Hillary Clinton and Paul Ryan, as Fortune reported in 2016.
Moreover, in 2019, Trump said that Cook was the only tech leader who called him personally. Cook has since appeared to strengthen his relationship with Trump over the past year, including announcing Apple’s $600 billion investment in US manufacturing over the next four years.
What Apple CEO Tim Cook said about manufacturing iPhones in the US
While discussing iPhone manufacturing in the US, Cook said,
Meanwhile, Cook’s focus on US policies and iPhone manufacturing in America has yielded results with the Trump administration. This relationship has exempted some, but not all, of Apple’s products from many tariffs.
Trump said in August 2025.
However, Apple still faced a $1.4 billion tariff bill in the December quarter alone, the company said in its most recent earnings call. The US Supreme Court has since struck down many of Trump’s tariffs (though his administration has issued new ones), and some companies, like Lenovo, Nintendo, Dyson, Costco, FedEx and others have sued the US government seeking refunds on tariffs they paid.
On the other hand, Cook said Apple will take a wait-and-see approach, learning how the courts rule before deciding whether to seek a refund.
