Apple's special gift for Mr. Trump

President Trump said Apple is coming home, doing everything right here in the US, instead of in some faraway country. Photo: UPI .

During a ceremony on August 6 (US time) held in the White House Oval Office, Apple CEO Tim Cook officially announced an additional investment of 100 billion USD in the US manufacturing sector, bringing the total spending commitment of this technology corporation to 600 billion USD in the next 4 years.

When meeting Donald Trump, Cook also personally handed the president a gift of a glass plate made by Apple in the US, engraved with the US President's name and placed on a 24K gold base.

A gift specially crafted for Donald Trump

During the ceremony, Tim Cook placed the gift on the Resolute Desk. “This is a one-of-a-kind piece, designed specifically for President Trump. This glass is manufactured at Corning in Kentucky. The gold base is made in Utah. It was designed by a former US Marine Corps corporal who works at Apple,” the CEO told the press. The glass is engraved with the Apple logo, name, and Tim Cook’s own signature.

According to Business Insider , this is not the first time he has brought gifts to the White House. In his final asset declaration before leaving office in 2021, Trump declared that he received a MacBook Pro worth $5,999 from the Apple CEO.

In 2019, President Trump publicly praised Mr. Cook as “the only tech CEO who calls me directly.” During Trump’s first term, Cook successfully lobbied for some Apple products to be exempted from tariffs.

Tim Cook placed the gift on the Resolute Desk, a laser-engraved glass panel manufactured by Apple at Corning's Kentucky plant, set on a 24-karat gold base from Utah. Photo: Shutterstock.

Also at the August 6 ceremony, the announcement of an additional $100 billion investment from Apple came with a concession from President Trump. Specifically, companies that “build or have committed to build in the United States” will not be subject to 100% tariffs on imported semiconductors and microchips.

“The good news is that if companies, like Apple, are making their products in the United States or have committed to making their products here, they will not be taxed. If you have committed to investing in the United States, you will not pay a dime,” President Trump declared.

He asserted that the policy was to pressure businesses to return to domestic production. “Apple is coming home. It’s great, we’re making everything right here in the United States now, instead of in some far away country,” Trump said.

Apple “goes home”

Apple said that all of the front glass for its iPhone and Apple Watch lines will soon be made in the United States. The company also confirmed that it will expand its cooperation with Corning's glass factory in Harrodsburg, Kentucky, where the glass for the first iPhone was made. Corning will increase the number of employees at the factory by 50% to meet Apple's new demand.

At the press conference, Cook emphasized: “For the first time in history, every new iPhone and Apple Watch sold globally will use front glass made in Kentucky, USA.”

However, the dream of a completely “Made in USA” iPhone has not yet become a reality. When asked about the possibility of bringing the entire iPhone production line to the US, both Cook and Trump admitted that this is not yet feasible because the supply chain structure has long been built in other countries.

“All the assembly lines are set up elsewhere. That’s been going on for a long time, so cost is something to consider. But I think we can create enough incentive for him to bring it here,” Trump said.

Tim Cook is also no stranger to lobbying efforts in Washington. Photo: Bloomberg .

The newly announced $100 billion investment will complement Apple's previous expansion plans, which include building a factory in Houston, Texas to produce servers for AI products, along with doubling its US Advanced Manufacturing Fund from $5 billion to $10 billion . The giant also announced it will open a manufacturing engineering training academy in Detroit on August 19.

In addition, Apple said it is signing agreements with more than 10 US companies in the semiconductor supply chain, including Broadcom and Amkor, and will become TSMC's first and largest customer at its Arizona factory. According to the company, these suppliers will produce 19 billion chips in the US in the coming years.

The White House hailed the partnership as a win for American manufacturing. “President Trump’s America First agenda has secured trillions of dollars in investment to support American jobs and strengthen American businesses. Today’s announcement with Apple is a clear demonstration of that,” spokesman Taylor Rogers said.

But not everything has been smooth sailing for Apple. In a recent earnings call, Tim Cook revealed that Apple had incurred a $800 million financial hit due to tariffs in the last quarter. That figure is expected to rise to $1.1 billion in the quarter ending in September this year.

Despite the exemption from the new tariffs on semiconductors, it is unclear whether Apple will be affected by the tariffs targeting India, as it is an important market in its current supply chain.

Source: https://znews.vn/tim-cook-tang-qua-gi-cho-donald-trump-khi-den-nha-trang-post1574858.html