Donald Trump has paid an unusual tribute to outgoing Apple chief executive Tim Cook, revealing that the tech boss had repeatedly called him during his presidency seeking help with business problems — and describing the experience of receiving those calls as deeply gratifying.
In a post on his Truth Social platform on Tuesday morning, Trump said Cook had contacted him early in his first term with “a fairly large problem that only I, as President, could fix.” Without disclosing what the issue involved, Trump said he resolved it “quickly and effectively” and described the episode as the start of a productive working relationship. “I was very impressed with myself to have the head of Apple calling to ‘kiss my ass,'” Trump wrote, adding that over the course of his presidency Cook had approached him three or four times for significant assistance, each time bypassing expensive Washington consultants in favour of going directly to the White House.
Trump also offered an unsolicited comparison between Cook and Apple’s co-founder Steve Jobs, concluding that while Jobs was a visionary, the company had performed considerably better financially under Cook’s leadership. “Tim Cook had an AMAZING career, almost incomparable,” Trump wrote, calling him “an incredible guy.”
Cook is due to leave his role as chief executive on 1 September 2026, transitioning to the position of executive chairman of Apple’s board. John Ternus, currently senior vice president of hardware engineering, will succeed him as chief executive. Apple described the process as following “a thoughtful, long-term succession planning process,” approved unanimously by the board.
The warm words come after a relationship that has been commercially significant but at times fraught. In May 2025, Trump threatened Apple with tariffs of at least 25 per cent on iPhones manufactured outside the United States, a move that ultimately cost the company hundreds of millions of dollars. Following a Supreme Court ruling in February this year that Trump lacked the authority to impose the levies, the administration is now in the process of repaying more than $166 billion in tariffs collected.
Cook had taken visible steps throughout to maintain good relations with the administration. He personally donated $1 million to Trump’s second inauguration fund, presented the president with a custom 24-karat gold Apple plaque at the White House in August 2025 to mark a planned $100 billion US investment commitment, and attended a White House screening of a Melania Trump documentary in January.
Apple had not responded to a request for comment at the time of publication.
