Apple CEO Tim Cook has made a personal contribution of $1 million to President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration fund. Cook, who Trump famously nicknamed “Tim Apple,” is the latest in a long line of tech lords bending the knee to Trump in hopes of currying favor with the new administration.
Axios reports that as the United States prepares for the inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump on January 20, 2025, tech giants are making efforts to ensure they are noticed by the new administration. The latest to do so is Apple CEO Tim Cook, who has personally donated $1 million to the inauguration fund. Notably, the contribution comes from Cook’s own finances, and Apple itself will not be providing any funds.
The decision to support Trump may seem at odds with Apple’s usual ultra-woke stance, but it highlights the delicate balance that the company must strike in the current political climate. Cook wasted no time in congratulating Trump after the election, followed by a dinner with the President-elect, indicating the CEO’s desire to establish a cordial relationship with the incoming administration.
Cook’s move is driven by a vested interest in staying on Trump’s good side, as Apple faces constant pressure from regulators around the world and potential tariffs that could impact its profits. By donating to the inauguration fund, Cook aims to gain favor and potentially secure exemptions and protection for the company.
Cook is joining a crowded field of the tech elite hoping to mend fences with Donald Trump. Chief among them is Mark Zuckerberg, the tech lord perhaps most infamous for his leftist politics, who also donated $1 million to Trump’s inauguration.
As Breitbart News previously reported, Zuckerberg hopes to have an “active role” in shaping Trump’s policies on big tech:
The New York Post reports that Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, is making moves to establish a closer relationship with the incoming Trump administration. Nick Clegg, Meta’s head of global affairs, recently stated that CEO Mark Zuckerberg is keen on having “an active role in the debates that any administration needs to have about maintaining America’s leadership in the technological sphere … and particularly the pivotal role that AI will play.”
This revelation comes on the heels of Zuckerberg’s recent dinner with President-elect Trump at Mar-a-Lago, where the billionaire reportedly requested a meeting to discuss “the incoming administration.” Meta later said that Zuckerberg was “grateful for the invitation.”
Clegg also acknowledged that Meta has been overzealous in its content moderation efforts, particularly regarding the COVID-19 pandemic. “We’re acutely aware — because users quite rightly raised their voice and complained about this — that we sometimes overenforce, we make mistakes and we remove or restrict innocuous or innocent content,” he admitted.
Read more at Axios here.
Lucas Nolan is a reporter for Breitbart News covering issues of free speech and online censorship.
