Apple and the golden gift for Trump

Apple CEO Tim Cook tried to woo Donald Trump during a visit to the White House with a gift of 24-carat gold and an announcement of $100 billion in investments.

President Trump and Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO, announced Wednesday that Apple would invest an additional $100 billion in the U.S., after Cook presented Trump with a 24-karat gold gift and lavished him with praise. Read more: nyti.ms/3J2VVue

— The New York Times (@nytimes.com) 2025-08-07T10:10:45.564945Z

The scene was deemed embarrassing by many Americans who saw the images.

Cook’s critics accuse him of sacrificing some of his dignity to preserve Apple’s huge margins, in return for an exemption deemed valuable to the company.

This additional investment brings Apple’s commitment to the United States to 600 billion over four years.

The gift, a glass sculpture on a gold base engraved with Trump’s name, seemed to please the ex-president, who decorates the White House in gold.

Cook gains a major trump card for Apple, as Trump exempts it from a 100% tax on imported chips as part of his global tariff war.