Tim Cook dines with Trump at Mar-a-Lago

Tim Cook held a meeting Friday with Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago, marking the first time that Apple’s CEO has met with the president-elect since voters elected him to a second term last month.

Cook and Trump later dined on the patio at Mar-a-Lago, according to two people with knowledge of the meeting at Trump’s residence and club in South Florida. The two men had a warm relationship during Trump’s first term — much warmer than Trump’s with other tech executives, like Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg or Google’s Sundar Pichai, both of whom recently had their own meals with Trump.

An Apple spokesperson declined to comment. A spokesperson for Trump did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The meeting offered a chance for Cook to seek Trump’s support on several issues that could challenge Apple’s business in the coming years, including pressure on the App Store from European regulators and the potential that new tariffs could put the company’s iPhone business at risk.

Trump has been receptive to those appeals in the past. During a podcast interview in October, Trump said he listened sympathetically as Cook complained to him on a call last month about European regulators who have fined Apple $2 billion for using the App Store to thwart competition.

“I’m not going to let them take advantage of our companies,” Trump recalled telling Cook. “That won’t be happening.”

Cook has become something of a model for corporate executives looking to stay on good terms with Trump. During Trump’s first term, the president heaped praise on Cook, saying that he liked that Cook called him directly to discuss business and economic issues. The approach helped Cook build a personal relationship with Trump and helped Apple avoid tariffs on many of its products, even as the Trump administration cracked down on other companies manufacturing in China.

In contrast, other tech giants have spent the last month working to repair damage in their relationships with Trump. In addition to Zuckerberg and Pichai, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos is scheduled to meet with Trump next week. Meta and Amazon also said that they would donate $1 million to Trump’s inaugural fund.

In 2017, Cook started to build a relationship with the Trump administration by getting to know Trump’s daughter, Ivanka, and her husband, Jared Kushner. He would often call them to talk about policy matters and the potential ramifications of issues like tariffs on Apple.

Since neither Trump nor Kushner are expected to be involved in the upcoming administration, Cook may have to find new allies in this next White House, especially on issues critical to Apple’s business, like manufacturing and trade.

Cook was among the many tech executives who sought to flatter Trump after his election. He posted congratulations on the social platform X and said, “We look forward to engaging with you and your administration to help make sure the United States continues to lead with and be fueled by ingenuity, innovation, and creativity.”