President Donald Trump on Tuesday claimed Apple chief Tim Cook once phoned him to 'kiss my a**,' posting a lengthy tribute on Truth Social a day after Cook announced he would step down as chief executive of the world's most valuable company.
Trump said Cook contacted him early in his first term with 'a fairly large problem' that only he could fix. He did not specify the issue.
'When I got the call, I said, wow, it's Tim Apple (Cook!) calling, how big is that? I was very impressed with myself to have the head of Apple calling to 'kiss my ass,' Trump wrote on Truth Social.
The post revived the 'Tim Apple' moniker Trump accidentally used at a 2019 White House meeting with Cook, a gaffe that became one of the more memorable moments of his first term.
Trump went on to describe a working relationship built over years with the Apple exec. 'During my five years as President, Tim would call me, but never too much, and I would help him where I could,' he wrote. He claimed to have assisted Cook with '3 or 4 BIG HELPS' and called the departing CEO 'an amazing manager and leader' with 'an AMAZING career, almost incomparable.'
Trump also compared Cook favourably to Apple co-founder Steve Jobs, saying the company 'would have done well' under Jobs but 'nowhere near as well as it has under Tim.'
A Relationship Forged Through Tariff Battles and White House Visits
Cook's relationship with Trump has been one of the more closely watched dynamics in corporate America. Cook attended Trump's second inauguration in January 2025 and Apple donated $1 million (£755,000) to the inaugural committee. When Trump rolled out sweeping tariffs on Chinese imports in April 2025, Cook spoke directly to Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick about the impact on iPhone prices, CNBC reported. Apple subsequently secured exemptions covering iPhones and other key products from the steepest levies.
In August 2025, Cook stood beside Trump in the Oval Office to announce an additional $100 billion (£75.5 billion) in US investment, bringing Apple's total domestic spending commitment to $600 billion (£453 billion) over four years. Trump used the same event to threaten 100 per cent tariffs on imported semiconductors while offering exemptions to companies building in the United States.
As executive chairman, Cook will continue engaging with policymakers worldwide. Apple said the transition followed a 'thoughtful, long-term succession planning process.' It came just weeks after Cook had publicly downplayed retirement rumours, telling ABC he had not said he was leaving and that he 'loved every day' of his 28 years at the company.
Trump's Tuesday post ended with a blanket endorsement. 'Quite simply, Tim Cook is an incredible guy!!!' he wrote.
Cook's Exit Ends 15-Year Run That Grew Apple to $4 Trillion
Cook's departure was announced on Monday. Apple said Cook, 65, would become executive chairman on 1 September 2026, with John Ternus, the company's senior vice president of hardware engineering, taking over as chief executive. The board approved the transition unanimously.
Cook took the top job in August 2011, weeks before Jobs died of pancreatic cancer. Under his watch, Apple's market capitalisation grew from roughly $350 billion (£264 billion) to more than $4 trillion (£3 trillion), a rise of over 1,000 per cent. Annual revenue nearly quadrupled, climbing from $108 billion (£81.6 billion) in fiscal year 2011 to more than $416 billion (£314 billion) in fiscal year 2025.
Ternus, 50, joined Apple's product design team in 2001 and rose to oversee hardware engineering across the iPhone, Mac, iPad, and Apple Watch lines. He will be the company's eighth chief executive.
'I love Apple with all of my being,' Cook said in a statement. He described Ternus as 'without question the right person to lead Apple into the future.'
The new CEO inherits a company facing pressure from Trump's tariff regime, rising demand for artificial intelligence capabilities, and an increasingly complex global supply chain. Apple said it expected $1.1 billion (£831 million) in tariff-related costs in the September quarter of fiscal year 2025.
