Trump Targets Apple After Tim Cook Skips Middle East Trip [Report]

A New York Times report published today details growing friction between President Donald Trump and Apple CEO Tim Cook, primarily over iPhone manufacturing. The report outlines how Mr. Cook's decision to decline an invitation to join President Trump on a recent Middle East trip appeared to irritate the President, leading to public criticisms and a new tariff threat against Apple.

According to the NYT, President Trump encouraged chief executives to accompany him to the Middle East. Tim Cook declined, a choice that seemingly led to Mr. Trump taking multiple shots at the Apple CEO during the trip. In Riyadh, while praising Nvidia's CEO Jensen Huang for attending, Mr. Trump pointedly noted Cook's absence. Later, in Qatar, Trump stated he "had a little problem with Tim Cook," recounting that he told the Apple CEO, "But now I hear you're building all over India. I don't want you building in India."

The situation escalated on Friday morning when President Trump, via a Truth Social post, threatened tariffs of at least 25 percent on iPhones made anywhere but the United States. This move reportedly surprised both his administration and Apple's leadership. It marks a sharp turn from just over a month ago when Mr. Cook had successfully lobbied for and won an exemption from a potential 145 percent tariff on iPhones assembled in China and sold in the U.S.


The New York Times suggests this breakdown indicates a shift in the relationship, where Cook was once considered one of Mr. Trump's most favored CEOs, famously being called "Tim Apple" by the President in 2019. Nu Wexler, a public affairs principal and former tech policy executive, told the Times that Cook's "very public relationship" with Trump has now backfired, putting Apple at a disadvantage.

The new tariff threat followed a report that Apple's supplier Foxconn would spend $1.5 billion on a plant in India for iPhones. President Trump stated the tariffs would affect all smartphones made abroad and would begin at the end of June.

The New York Times notes this development comes at a challenging time for Apple. The company recently faced a stinging rebuke in an App Store trial where a judge stated executives had "outright lied under oath." Additionally, former chief designer Jony Ive joined OpenAI last week, the Vision Pro headset has seen disappointing sales, and a promised Siri revamp was postponed.

Despite these issues, Apple's financial performance remains strong. The company has previously tried to mitigate criticism of its overseas manufacturing by promising to spend $500 billion in the United States over the next four years. Cook has also highlighted that Apple will source 19 billion chips from the U.S. this year, partly from TSMC's new Arizona facilities, and will begin making AI servers in Houston.


However, the NYT report indicates servers haven't satisfied Mr. Trump. "If they're going to sell it in America, I want it to be built in the United States," Mr. Trump said on Friday. "They're able to do that." Apple has not publicly responded to these latest comments.