kissing the ring

Tim Cook is scheduled to meet on Friday with Donald J. Trump at Mar-a-Lago,
marking the first time that Apple’s chief executive has met with the
president-elect since voters elected him to a second term last month.

Mr. Cook and Mr. Trump are scheduled to dine on the patio at Mar-a-Lago
later on Friday, according to two people with knowledge of the upcoming
meeting. The two men had a warm relationship during Mr. Trump’s first term
— much warmer than Mr. Trump’s with other tech executives, like Meta’s Mark
Zuckerberg or Google’s Sundar Pichai, both of whom recently had their own
meals with Mr. Trump.

An Apple spokesperson declined to comment. A spokesperson for Trump did not
immediately respond to a request for comment.

The meeting offers a chance for Mr. Cook to seek Mr. Trump’s support on
several issues that could challenge Apple’s business in the coming years,
including pressure on the App Store from European regulators and the
potential that new tariffs could put the company’s iPhone business at risk.

Mr. Trump has been receptive to those appeals in the past. During a podcast
interview in October, Mr. Trump said he listened sympathetically as Mr.
Cook complained to him on a call last month about European regulators who
have fined Apple $2 billion for using the App Store to thwart competition.

“I’m not going to let them take advantage of our companies,” Mr. Trump
recalled telling Mr. Cook. “That won’t be happening.”

Mr. Cook has become something of a model for corporate executives looking
to stay on good terms with Mr. Trump. During Mr. Trump’s first term, the
president heaped praise on Mr. Cook, saying that he liked that Mr. Cook
called him directly to discuss business and economic issues. The approach
helped Mr. Cook build a personal relationship with Mr. Trump and helped
Apple avoid tariffs on many of its products, even as the Trump
administration cracked down on other companies manufacturing in China.

In contrast, other tech giants have spent the last month working to repair
damage in their relationships with Mr. Trump. In addition to Mr. Zuckerberg
and Mr. Pichai, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos is scheduled to meet with Mr.
Trump next week. Meta and Amazon also said that they would donate $1
million to Mr. Trump’s inaugural fund.

In 2017, Mr. Cook started to build a relationship with the Trump
administration by getting to know Mr. Trump’s daughter, Ivanka, and her
husband, Jared Kushner. He would often call them to talk about policy
matters and the potential ramifications of issues like tariffs on Apple.

Since neither Ms. Trump nor Mr. Kushner are expected to be involved in the
upcoming administration, Mr. Cook may have to forge new allies in this next
White House, especially on issues critical to Apple’s business, like
manufacturing and trade.

Mr. Cook was among the many chief executives in technology who sought to
flatter Mr. Trump after his election. He posted congratulations on X and
said, “We look forward to engaging with you and your administration to help
make sure the United States continues to lead with and be fueled by
ingenuity, innovation, and creativity.”

https://dnyuz.com/2024/12/13/tim-cook-to-dine-with-trump/