 Cook and Trump. Photographer: Al Drago/Bloomberg For all their progressive values, Apple Inc.’s top management was probably relieved when former President Donald Trump won reelection this month. Trump’s policies and rhetoric may clash with Apple’s public positions (on the importance of reducing emissions, for instance), but the company has had an antagonistic relationship with the Biden administration. Apple was sued by the Justice Department in an antitrust case that might drag on for years, and mounting regulatory scrutiny around the world is threatening its operations. The current White House also didn’t step in to resolve a patent dispute that forced Apple to stop selling watches with a blood-oxygen feature. Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook may be looking forward to having an administration that’s friendlier to his interests. And yet, Trump’s trade plans loom large over the company. Apple makes the vast majority of its products in China, the main target of his proposed tariffs. Though the company has shifted some production elsewhere in Asia, including India, it hardly makes anything in the US. With Trump touting a 60% tariff on goods imported from China and a 20% levy on things made elsewhere, Apple is seemingly in trouble. All that would appear to suggest that Cook is facing one of the biggest potential headaches of his career. The reality, though, may be far different. The CEO has a good chance of getting tariff relief from Trump, and he could leverage their relationship to address some of Apple’s other challenges. When Trump was in office from 2017 to 2021, Cook was almost a White House fixture, meeting frequently with the president. Over the last four years, in contrast, Cook and the Biden administration have rarely interacted. The last time around, Apple was mostly able to sidestep the tariff threat. Cook sold Trump on the idea that an iPhone tax would benefit Samsung Electronics Co., a South Korean rival to Apple. He also pitched the administration on the Apple Watch being a life-saving device. That product briefly had a 15% tariff, but it was reduced in 2020.  Trump tours an Apple manufacturing plant in 2019 with Cook. Photographer: Evan Vucci/AP This time, you can bet Cook will take a similar tack in seeking tariff relief. He has a clear path: - Cook will be able to tout that a large number of iPhones are now made in India, which is run by Trump ally Narendra Modi. And the CEO can continue to argue that taxing the iPhone will only help non-American rivals.
- There is a new Mac Pro launching next year. This model was the cornerstone of a Made-in-the-USA pitch for Apple, and for years it’s been assembled in Austin. If it’s possible to produce the new Mac Pro domestically, you can bet Cook will let Trump take credit for making that happen.
- A new Arizona plant for building chips for lower-end Apple products is in the process of coming online. Though the project happened under President Joe Biden’s watch — with incentives from the Chips and Science Act — Trump will likely see this as a win for his administration when the chips start hitting the market next year.
- For years, Apple has had on-and-off-again plans to open a major new campus in North Carolina. It slowed down work on the development this year, but said it still plans to open the office. If it makes progress on the effort before Trump’s term ends in 2029, it will give Apple another way to show that it’s committed to the US.
This will be familiar territory for Cook. In 2019, he held a joint press conference with Trump to thank him for making it possible to assemble the Mac Pro in Texas — despite the fact that the computer was built in that same Austin factory since 2013 and almost entirely with components made in China. Cozying up to Trump may not sit well with many Apple employees (or even some of the company’s senior executives), but Cook will likely do what it takes to protect Apple from tougher trade policies. The company could benefit in other ways too. With a new administration, the Justice Department might be more likely to drop its lawsuit against the iPhone maker. But Trump’s current nominee for attorney general, Matt Gaetz, has been a critic of Big Tech. Cook also may seek help dealing with the European Union, which is looking to rein in the App Store. In fact, Trump said that Cook called to vent about the EU weeks before the election. It’s possible that Trump could impose retaliatory policies that might get Europe to ease its attack on US companies. Now, there are some complications this time around. Elon Musk, a Trump backer and key adviser, has had an adversarial relationship with Cook over the years. He chafed at Apple’s unwillingness to buy Tesla Inc. a decade ago and has complained about App Store commissions. Musk may argue against helping Cook preserve a business model that he has called unfair. Another wild card is how employees will react. Slack, the now-indispensable messaging tool, wasn’t used by Apple the first time Trump was elected. Today’s workers use it regularly to speak up about Apple policies, and some may not hesitate to blast the companywide Slack channel with complaints about Trump. A backlash could make it more challenging for Cook to play nice with the president. So far, Cook hasn’t met with Trump publicly since the election. But his words on X said it all: “Congratulations President Trump on your victory! 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.” Other major tech CEOs posted similar messages, but it marks a shift from Trump’s win in 2016. After that election, Cook privately emailed Apple employees in a soothing tone, talking about the importance of diversity and quoting Martin Luther King Jr. This time, Apple simply posted Cook’s congratulatory X message on an internal blog. | 
