As you all already know, Donald Trump was recently elected for the second time as president of the United States, ahead of Kamala Harris, and returns to the White House 4 years after his departure. Tim Cook, CEO of Apple, has publicly congratulated the president-elect after his inauguration, reaffirming the company’s commitment to innovation and job creation in the United States.
The visible head did so through his X account (formerly Twitter), owned by Elon Musk, to transmit his message after attending the ceremony in person, something that has caused a great stir on social networks.
Relationship between Apple and Donald Trump
Cook’s message has not gone unnoticed, as expected, since it bears a close resemblance to the statement he already issued after Trump’s victory in the November elections. This, more than anything else, seems to be part of a shared strategy between technology leaders, such as Sundar Pichai, from Google, or Satya Nadella, from Microsoft, who have also dedicated a few minutes to praising the power of the United States as an engine of innovation with the arrival of Trump.
Although Apple avoided direct involvement with the Trump administration during its first term, there were moments that did not go unnoticed, such as the president’s visit to a Mac Pro assembly plant in 2019, where he even received a device as a gift. However, the dynamic appears to be changing in this second term. Cook not only attended official meetings and dinners, but reportedly donated $1 million out of his own pocket to the inauguration fund. Although Apple as a corporation did not participate in these types of contributions, Cook has promised a substantial investment in the industrial development of the country.
Apple and the United States: dependency relationship
Part of this investment is part of the CHIPS Act, signed by former President Joe Biden in 2022, which seeks to boost semiconductor manufacturing on US soil. In this context, Apple is benefiting from the plants built by TSMC in Arizona to increase production of advanced chips in the United States. Although Trump has attributed this growth to his re-election, experts point out that the incentives established during the Biden administration have been the real catalyst.
Social networks have not been slow to respond to criticize the position of Apple and Tim Cook in particular. However, we must remember that Apple is not Tim Cook, so as an institution, what is foreseeable is that they will remain away from any political position. What Apple does want is to maintain its position as a pillar of the economy and innovation in the United States.
The question many are asking now is how this relationship will evolve in the coming years. With Trump taking back the reins of government and Apple strengthening its commitment to the country, the decisions made at this stage could have significant implications not only for technology, but also for the political and economic landscape of the United States.
