President Donald Trump made a bizarre boast in an on-brand tribute to departing Apple CEO Tim Cook.
Cook has been the head of the tech giant since founder Steve Jobs stepped down for health reasons, not long before he died in October 2011. On Monday, Apple named John Ternus as Cook’s replacement.
Trump reacted to the news on Tuesday morning, giving a deranged tribute to Cook. He spoke of the early days of their relationship, before dipping into an anecdote about how Cook approached him for help.
“For me it began with a phone call from Tim at the beginning of my First Term. He had a fairly large problem that only I, as President, could fix,” Trump opened.
“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 a--,’” Trump wrote in the Truth Social post.
After that X-rated brag, he got back to the point. “Anyway, he explained his problem, a tough one it was, I felt he was right and got it taken care of, quickly and effectively,” the 79-year-old continued.
“That was the beginning of a long and very nice relationship,” he said, adding that he offered “3 or 4 BIG HELPS” to Cook during his first term, which ran from Jan. 2017 to Jan. 2021.
Trump was keen to add that he didn’t always assist because, “on occasion,” the tech mogul would “be too aggressive in his ask!”
Towards the end of the post, it started to read more like a tribute. Trump concluded with compliments to Cook. “Tim Cook had an AMAZING career, almost incomparable, and will go on and continue to do great work for Apple, and whatever else he chooses to work on. Quite simply, Tim Cook is an incredible guy!!!” he said.
Trump was apparently so impressed that the head of one of the world’s largest companies would personally call the president that he was likely bowled over when Cook went one further, dropping into the Oval Office last August with a golden gift in hand.
Cook arrived at the White House with a clear mission to woo the president. He brought a personalized present with a 24-karat gold base to announce Apple’s additional $100 billion investment in American manufacturing.
But Cook’s early flattery didn’t entirely spare him from Trump’s more unpredictable instincts. The president praised Cook’s business acumen before, without obvious prompting, pivoting to the 64-year-old’s apparent athletic limitations.
“Just about every quality he can have other than athleticism,” Trump said. “I don’t know about that. I’m looking at him. I’m not, I’m not 100 percent sure about you being a good athlete. I’ll bet you’re pretty good.”
The bizarre insult didn’t dissuade Cook. Apple has made a $600 billion, four-year commitment to U.S. manufacturing and innovation.
Cook, of course, will not oversee this project. He will stay in his post until September 1, when the current head of hardware engineering and 25-year Apple veteran Ternus will take over. Cook will then become executive chairman.
In a statement, the company left the door open to more Cook-Trump photo ops, declaring that he will continue to “assist with certain aspects of the company, including engaging with policymakers around the world.”
