Apple CEO Tim Cook Meets With President Trump at the White House
Credit: Flickr / The White House
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Apple CEO Tim Cook met with U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday. The discussion was likely about two subjects near and dear to both men’s hearts: US manufacturing and tariffs.
Unfortunately, little is actually known about the details of the visit, which was first reported by Edward Lawrence at Fox Business. However, Trump’s proposed tariffs and push to return foreign production to the US were likely among the topics.
Cook was spotted when he entered the White House at about 10:10 AM Eastern Time on Thursday. He exited the meeting approximately 45 minutes later, telling those assembled only that he had a “great meeting” with the President.
One of Cook’s main concerns these days is likely the import tax situation. Trump has promised to levy large tariffs on devices and other products manufactured in China. Several of Apple’s devices and accessories, including the iPhone, iPad, Mac, and others, would fall under that category.
Bank of America on Wednesday told CNBC that Apple would need to hike prices by approximately 9% to mitigate the impact of Trump’s possible tariffs. The financial firm projected that assuming the products will be hit with at least a 10% tariff, the tech giant will need to increase prices by that amount. Analyst Wamsi Mohan warned that the company’s earnings could take a hit no matter what moves are made.
Mohan shared several scenarios for how Apple could react to tariffs. If Apple doesn’t raise its prices, Mohan said Apple would see a loss in earnings per share of 26 cents (3.1%) for calendar year 2026. Meanwhile, a retail price increase of approximately 3% would result in a per-share earnings drop of 21 cents (2.4%) over the same time span.
Returning manufacturing to the United States was also likely a topic of conversation. Currently, the only Apple product substantially made in the US is the Mac Pro, which is assembled in Texas from parts sourced from suppliers both in the US and abroad.
In 2021, Apple announced that 48 of its 180 suppliers had moved operations to the US. More than 30 of those moved to California, with eight returning in 2020.
China continues to be the dominant country in Apple’s supply chain, with around 150 suppliers based in the country. These suppliers manufacture multiple components used to assemble Apple’s devices and accessories, including screens, camera components, chips, motors, and other components.
The majority of Apple’s devices—including the Mac, iPhone, and iPad lineups—are manufactured in China and a few other countries, such as India. However, Apple processor-making partner TSMC has brought some of its chip manufacturing to the US, thanks to former President Biden’s Chips Act, which gives companies like TSMC vast subsidies to bring production to the US. TSMC’s US operations are based in Arizona.
Trump is not a fan of subsidies to lure chip producers to the US, so Cook and Trump may have also discussed this.
Cook’s visit to the White House is likely only the first of many that he and other Apple executives will make during the Trump administration. Apple representatives reportedly visited the White House more than 85 times during the Biden presidency, 11 of which were by Cook himself.
