Tim Cook defies criticism of his relationship with Trump and insists he is right in the middle
Apple CEO Tim Cook says he is “not political” amid continued criticism of his relationship with President Donald Trump’s administration.
Appearing on “Good Morning America” on Tuesday in honor of Apple’s 50th anniversary, Cook was asked about his recent appearances at the White House and his interactions with Trump, which have sparked calls to boycott his company.
“What I do is interact about policy, not politics,” he said. “I’m not a political person on either side. I’m not political, so I’m in the middle.”
Cook also mildly praised Trump, telling “GMA” co-host Michael Strahan: “I focus on politics, and so I’m very happy that the president and the administration are accessible to talk about politics.”
Watch Tim Cook’s appearance on “Good Morning America” below.
“,”guy”:”video”,”goal”:{“author”:”Good morning America”,”author_url”:”https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCH1oRy1dINbMVp3UFWrKP0w”,”cache_age”:86400,”description”:”Apple’s CEO discusses the company’s next milestone, from its beginnings in a California garage to its global influence shaping the future at an unprecedented pace.nnSUBSCRIBE to GMA: https://youtube.com/@GMA?si=ka34lqdEy8NRwJtTnnSIGN UP for GMA’s daily Wake-Up newsletter: nhttps://tinyurl.com/yc34mz6tnnTo read the full story and others, visit http://www.goodmorningamerica.com nnFOLLOW:nTikTok: https://tiktok.com/@gmanInstagram: https://instagram.com/GoodMorningAmericanFacebook: https://facebook.com/GoodMorningAmericanThreads: https://www.threads.net/@goodmorningamerica n”,”options”:{“_cc_load_policy”:{“label”:”Closed Captions”,”worth”:FAKE},”_end”:{“label”:”Finish the”,”placeholder”:”ex.: 11, 1m10s”,”worth”:””},”_begin”:{“label”:”Start from”,”placeholder”:”ex.: 11, 1m10s”,”worth”:””}},”supplier_name”:”YouTube”,”thumbnail_height”:720,”thumbnail_url”:”https://i.ytimg.com/vi/PjehoUu48rY/maxresdefault.jpg”,”thumbnail_width”:1280,”qualification”:”Tim Cook talks about Apple’s 50th anniversary”,”guy”:”video”,”URL”:”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PjehoUu48rY”,”version”:”1.0″},”flags”:[],”improvements”:{},”complete bleeding”:FAKE,”options”:{“issue”:”news”,”device”:”office”,”editionInfo”:{“ID”:”us”,”name”:”US”,”link”:”https://www.News themezone.com”,”place”:”y_US”},”Original edition”:”us”,”esMapi”:FAKE,”esAmp”:FAKE,”it’s mobile”:FAKE,”esAdsFree”:FAKE,”enVideoEntry”:FAKE,”enEntry”:TRUE,”also mount”:FAKE,”Entry ID”:”69b99db3e4b07119c0bde520″,”entryPermanent link”:”https://www.News themezone.com/entry/apple-ceo-tim-cook-donald-trump-relationship_n_69b99db3e4b07119c0bde520″,”entryTagsList”:”donald-trump,tim-cook,@flexpro_1515668_11305730,@flexpro_resolved,@us_News themezone_now”,”sectionSlug”:”policy”,”departmentSlug”:”news-politics”,”sectionRedirectUrl”:null,”subcategories”:”technology, us-news”,”it is wide”:FAKE,”enShopping”:FAKE,”Override header”:null,”no video ads”:FAKE,”disable float”:FAKE,”is native”:FAKE,”commercialVideo”:{“supplier”:”habit”,”site_and_category”:”we.politics”,”package”:null},”enHighline”:FAKE,”vidibleConfigValues”:{“cid”:”60afc111dcf87c2cd2f5d8bf”,”cancels”:{“front_page_top_videos”:{“office”:”60b64354b171b7444beaff4d”,”mobile web”:”60b64354b171b7444beaff4d”},”top_media”:{“office”:”60b8e6bdc5449357a7ada147″,”mobile”:”60b8e701c5449357a7ada2ee”,”iPhone”:”60b8e643cdd90620331bb1f6″,”iPad”:”60b8e643cdd90620331bb1f6″,”android phone”:”60b8e699c5449357a7ada04c”,”android tablet”:”60b8e699c5449357a7ada04c”},”anthology”:{“office”:”60b8e616cdd90620331bb0ba”,”mobile”:”60b8e671c5449357a7ad9f66″,”iPhone”:”60b8e643cdd90620331bb1f6″,”iPad”:”60b8e643cdd90620331bb1f6″,”android phone”:”60b8e699c5449357a7ada04c”,”android tablet”:”60b8e699c5449357a7ada04c”},”content”:{“office”:”60b8e616cdd90620331bb0ba”,”mobile”:”60b8e671c5449357a7ad9f66″,”iPhone”:”60b8e643cdd90620331bb1f6″,”iPad”:”60b8e643cdd90620331bb1f6″,”android phone”:”60b8e699c5449357a7ada04c”,”android tablet”:”60b8e699c5449357a7ada04c”}},”playerUpdates”:{“5668ae6ee4b0b5e26955d6a6″:”60d2472d9340d7032ad7e443″,”56aa41bae4b091744c0440d8″:”60e869dc7c5f3b17b6741b81″,”5841b2b5cc52c716ec6e5a7f”:”60b8e355cdd90620331ba185″,”58b5e2b8d85a10302feee895″:”60b64316b171b7444beafdb2″,”58b74698f78ced31417819ae”:”60b8e5bec5449357a7ad9b52″,”58b74ccecebcea57e2c3a3d1″:”60b8e5eac5449357a7ad9ca5″,”58cff690d85a100b9992bc39″:”60b8e616cdd90620331bb0ba”,”58cffb3fb6d9b972a49a3c9d”:”60b8e643cdd90620331bb1f6″,”58cffdd74d96935d7d6ec180″:”60b8e671c5449357a7ad9f66″,”58d03a84f78ced6518eb2fa7″:”60b643c82e76be41f112735c”,”592edf20e0fa177b0c26f7fd”:”60b8e699c5449357a7ada04c”,”5b35266b158f855373e28256″:”60b64354b171b7444beaff4d”,”5c116f29f79c4171d82b7c2a”:”60b64440b171b7444beb040b”,”5c1170fc600c9a697bf0c6b9″:”60b646102e76be41f1127ffc”,”5c47791afa1b317df8ae0c4f”:”60b8e6bdc5449357a7ada147″,”5c477987a6b48b35f164773d”:”60b8e701c5449357a7ada2ee”,”5c4779ee943c3c2a64f28371″:”60b8e747cdd90620331bb861″,”5c477a26fcd67b26879bc7c2″:”60b8e788c5449357a7ada67b”,”5d8921a78c3ae845f366c9b6″:”60ae7be5f3a7c13a30417ff9″,”58b98b00ba82aa39a6534321″:”60d0de7c9340d7032ad1146c”,”58b9d14cb6d9b96c9ec32af3″:”60d0dic19340d7032ad115a0″,”58cff8eccebcea42931e0436″:”60d0e005b627221e9d819d44″,”592edf5de0fa177b0c26f95b”:”60d0e38fb627221e9d81adcf”,”58cff72fd85a100b9992c112″:”60d0e447b627221e9d81b0da”,”56b4d34fe4b022697697c400″:”60d2472d9340d7032ad7e443″,”60b8e4c0c5449357a7ad957d”:”60e869dc7c5f3b17b6741b81″}},”connatixConfigValues”:{“default player”:”ff7fdddc-5441-4253-abc4-f12a33fad58b”,”click to play player”:”d014396e-b366-4c17-aeac-3ce906fa3fd0″,”video page player”:”f010447b-d244-4111-a314-7b4542ae4145″,”vertical player”:”e58cb05a-0bc8-4210-9108-fea82726c065″,”StickyPlayerControl”:”52ea1755-d601-4ad1-bccc-d8cce3f0e5da”,”sticky player”:”8055e9e5-3bda-4933-8d45-9ad814fb6e22″,”noAdsPlayer”:”deeeda04-49cb-4a1d-ac6c-c388a685b58e”,”life page player”:”e1d799d2-2d81-4f27-bfa0-e6833a657659″,”noLifePagePlayer”:”6f2f7532-1bdc-4d9d-806b-8109a4010559″,”adLightDesktopPlayer”:”014f5956-89c0-4fda-9201-b1c2b8232be5″,”adLightMobilePlayer”:”b74a8200-8881-451a-b3ae-e3479c486eac”},”topConnatixThumnbailSrc”:”https://img.connatix.com/1efd1134-00ba-487a-857c-92bf6cdee50d/1_th.jpg?crop=629:354,smart&width=629&height=354&format=jpeg&quality=60&fit=crop”,”custom amplifier components”:[],”ampAssetsUrl”:”https://amp.assets.News themezone.com”,”videoTraits”:null,”position in units units”:{“buzz_head”:{“count”:0},”body_buzz”:{“count”:0},”buzz_bottom”:{“count”:0}},”position in subunits”:{“article_body”:{“count”:14},”summary_blog”:{“count”:0},”before_going_happy”:{“count”:0}},”connatixCountsHelper”:{“count”:1},”buzzfeedTracking”:{“context_page_id”:”69b99db3e4b07119c0bde520″,”context_page_type”:”buzz”,”destination”:”post”,”mode”:”office”,”page_edit”:”es-us”},”labels”:[{[{“name”:”donald trump”,”slug”:”donald-trump”,”golf course”:{“relative link”:”topic/donald-trump”,”permanent link”:”https://www.News themezone.com/topic/donald-trump”,”mobileWebLink”:”https://www.News themezone.com/topic/donald-trump”},”department”:{“name”:”Latest news”,”slug”:”No ticias-politics”},”section”:{“qualification”:”Policy”,”slug”:”policy”},”issue”:{“qualification”:”donald trump”,”slug”:”donald-trump”,”overrides section tag”:FAKE},”URL”:”https://www.News themezone.com/news/topic/donald-trump”},{“name”:”Tim Cook”,”slug”:”tim-cook”,”golf course”:{“relative link”:”topic/tim-cook”,”permanent link”:”https://www.News themezone.com/topic/tim-cook”,”mobileWebLink”:”https://www.News themezone.com/topic/tim-cook”},”department”:{“name”:”Life”,”slug”:”lifestyle”},”section”:{“qualification”:”technology”,”slug”:”technology”},”issue”:{“qualification”:”Tim Cook”,”slug”:”tim-cook”,”overrides section tag”:FAKE},”URL”:”https://www.News themezone.com/life/topic/tim-cook”}],”enLiveblogLive”:null,”enLiveblog”:FAKE,”backfillRelated articles”:[{[{“edition ID”:”us”,”holder”:”Tim Cook criticized for ‘disgusting’ gift-giving meeting with Trump”,”Default image”:{“guy”:”Hector”,”URL”:”https://img.huffingtonpost.com/asset/6894d1ab18000078b98c4f4f.jpeg”,”queryParams”:{“cache”:”2rB20ZISPW”},”broad”:1600,”height”:900,”credit”:”Left: Alex Brandon/News; Right: Alex Brandon/News”,”operations”:””},”URL”:”https://www.News themezone.com/entry/tim-cook-gift-giving-meeting-with-trump_n_6894a18ae4b0b5385d5f56db”,”ten”:”Apple’s CEO presented the president with a “unique” piece of glass encased in 24-karat gold during a celebratory event Wednesday in the Oval Office.”},{“edition ID”:”us”,”holder”:”Melania Trump told to ‘read the room’ over documentary stunt”,”Default image”:{“guy”:”Hector”,”URL”:”https://img.huffingtonpost.com/asset/6977374e1b0000893d6fde98.jpeg”,”queryParams”:{“cache”:”VmOJTbWzvJ”},”broad”:3127,”height”:2032,”credit”:”via News”,”operations”:”500_281″},”URL”:”https://www.News themezone.com/entry/melania-trump-documentary-backlash_n_69772b21e4b00e79865d6757″,”ten”:”
Even one of Trump’s former lawyers criticized the event.
“},{“edition ID”:”us”,”holder”:”Amazon offers the sneakiest look at its controversial new documentary ‘Melania'”,”Default image”:{“guy”:”Hector”,”URL”:”https://img.huffingtonpost.com/asset/68e8ccd2160000a14d4836f4.jpeg”,”queryParams”:{“cache”:”i4bZjpUd2o”},”broad”:4015,”height”:5000,”credit”:”KENA BETANCUR via Getty Images”,”operations”:””},”URL”:”https://www.News themezone.com/entry/melania-documentary-amazon_n_68e8c823e4b0a9f46d0d1236″,”ten”:”The film about first lady Melania Trump captures “critical meetings, private conversations and never-before-seen environments,” according to the promotional blurb.”},{“edition ID”:”us”,”holder”:”Melania Trump’s lavish $40 million documentary is already attracting attention”,”Default image”:{“guy”:”Hector”,”URL”:”https://img.huffingtonpost.com/asset/6978f3441b0000e97f6fe0ca.jpeg”,”queryParams”:{“cache”:”6yLlSqG2oq”},”broad”:8256,”height”:5504,”credit”:”ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS via Getty Images”,”operations”:””},”URL”:”https://www.News themezone.com/entry/melania-trump-documentary-speculation_n_6978f160e4b051911224d57f”,”ten”:”
Amazon reportedly spent $40 million on “Melania: Twenty days for history”and another $35 million to promote it, which garnered attention even before the reviews came in.
“},{“edition ID”:”us”,”holder”:”‘Everything accurate except’: Stephen Colbert trolls Melania Trump with epic fact check”,”Default image”:{“guy”:”Hector”,”URL”:”https://img.huffingtonpost.com/asset/697c72b322000037216d9004.jpeg”,”queryParams”:{“cache”:”iXypz4v2Uo”},”broad”:1080,”height”:1080,”credit”:”News/AP”,”operations”:”500_281″},”URL”:”https://www.News themezone.com/entry/stephen-colbert-melania-trump-movie_n_697c5b2ee4b0c378a7e0e27c”,”ten”:”
He “Late show” The presenter mocked the first lady for the launch of her documentary.
“}],”Login URL”:”https://login.News themezone.com/login?dest=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.News themezone.com%2Fentry%2Fapple-ceo-tim-cook-donald-trump-relationship_n_69b99db3e4b07119c0bde520%3Fhp_auth_done%3D1″,”cet unit”:”body_buzz”,”enableIncontentPlayer”:FAKE,”bodyAds”:[[“
rnrn”,”
rnrn”,”
rnrn”],”ad count”:0,”midArticleAdPartner”:null},”enCollectionEmbed”:false}”>
Last year, Cook was among a number of tech leaders, including Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, Google CEO Sundar Pichai and Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, who attended Trump’s inauguration ceremony. Since then, she has appeared at the White House on several occasions, including a January screening of “Melania,” the Amazon Prime Video documentary about first lady Melania Trump.
Despite Cook’s previous visits to the White House, his attendance at the “Melania” screening in particular angered many online, given that it took place on the same day that a Border Patrol agent shot and killed Alex Pretti in Minneapolis.
At one point during the event, she posed for a photo with filmmaker Brett Ratner, who in 2017 faced accusations of sexual harassment and misconduct from at least six women, including actresses Natasha Henstridge and Olivia Munn.
Win McNamee via Getty Images
Days later, Cook told Apple employees that he was “heartbroken” by Pretti’s death.
“This is the time to de-escalate,” Cook wrote in an internal memo, according to Bloomberg. “I believe America is stronger when we live up to our highest ideals, when we treat everyone with dignity and respect, no matter who they are or where they come from.”
He went on to note that he had had a “good conversation” with Trump about his crackdown on immigrants, adding, “I appreciate his openness to engaging on issues that matter to us all.”
Elsewhere in his “GMA” interview, Cook downplayed rumors that he plans to retire after 15 years as Apple CEO. He also noted that his company will invest $600 billion to move more of its manufacturing to the United States.
“In fact, if you look at your iPhone today, the front cover and the back cover, all that glass will be leaving Kentucky later this year,” he said.