Donald Trump invited Apple CEO Tim Cook for Middle East tour, Cook declined

Prior to US President Donald Trump’s recent trip to the Middle East, the White House requested several business executives from leading US firms to accompany him. Among those who received an invitation was Tim Cook, the CEO of Apple. However, Cook decided against attending, as per a report from The New York Times. Two individuals familiar with the situation claim that this choice disturbed Trump. Throughout the journey, which featured visits to Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Qatar, Trump remarked publicly multiple times on Cook’s absence.

While speaking at an event in Riyadh, Trump thanked Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang for attending the tour. Then he pointed out that Tim Cook was not there. “I mean, Tim Cook isn’t here, but you are,” Trump said to Huang in front of other top company heads like Larry Fink of BlackRock, Jane Fraser of Citigroup, and Sam Altman of OpenAI. Later, during his visit to Qatar, Trump said he had “a little problem with Tim Cook” and seemed unhappy that Apple was doing more of its production work in India instead of the US.

Shortly thereafter, Trump shared a message on social media indicating he could impose a 25 percent tax on iPhones produced outside the US. This came as a shock to numerous individuals, including a few within his own team and at Apple. Only a few weeks prior, Cook had conferred with the government and obtained special authorization to bypass an additional high tax on iPhones produced in China. That agreement now appears to be at risk.

In the meantime, Apple is pursuing larger ambitions in India. As reported by the Financial Times, Foxconn, the firm assisting Apple in manufacturing its iPhones, is establishing a new $1.5 billion (approximately Rs 12,768 crores) plant close to Chennai. This facility will manufacture components for iPhones, such as the display module that manages the screen. India is currently the world’s second-largest smartphone market, and Apple is anticipated to boost its production in the region in the forthcoming years.

Trump appears to be displeased with this. He stated openly that he does not want Apple to expand further in India. He thinks that a greater number of iPhones should be produced in the US. This has turned Apple’s business choices into a larger political debate. Experts indicate that Tim Cook previously maintained a solid working relationship with Trump. He was regarded as a person capable of communicating with the president and maintaining peace between Apple and the government. However, that might not be true anymore.

According to reports , Apple has refrained from commenting on the situation, and the White House has also not disclosed any information regarding Cook’s absence from the Middle East trip.