Tim Cook, Apple Chief Executive Officer (CEO), recently declined to accompany U.S. President Donald Trump on his Middle East trip, earning Trump's displeasure, the New York Times (NYT) reported on the 26th (local time).
The NYT, citing two sources, reported that ahead of Trump’s visit to three Middle Eastern countries from the 13th to the 16th, the White House had encouraged several U.S. corporations' CEOs to join him, but Cook refused.
Afterward, Trump criticized Cook several times during the Middle East trip. At an event in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, where several U.S. corporations' CEOs attended, Trump praised Jensen Huang, CEO of NVIDIA, mentioning, “Tim Cook is not here, but you are.” In Qatar, he said, “There were some issues with Tim Cook.”
On the 23rd, in a post on his social media (SNS) Truth Social, Trump indicated, “I have long told Tim Cook, Apple CEO, that I hope the iPhone sold in the U.S. is made in the U.S. and not in India or elsewhere,” adding, “Otherwise, Apple will have to pay a tariff of at least 25%.”
Cook, who had been one of Trump's favorite corporate executives for the past eight years, is now one of the White House's main targets. The NYT assessed, “The White House's tariff plan presents greater challenges for Cook, who has led Apple for nearly 14 years.”
Apple lost a lawsuit regarding App Store payment fees last month, and is facing several difficulties this year, including the recent joining of legendary designer Jony Ive, who left the company in 2019 due to disagreements with Cook, to OpenAI to ramp up development of artificial intelligence (AI) devices.
Apple and the White House did not respond to requests for comments regarding reports of Cook's refusal to accompany President Trump on his trip.