Technologies

Trump Recounts Tim Cook Call to ‘Kiss My Ass,’ Offering a Candid Look at White House Dealings

President Trump’s recent Truth Social post reveals the transactional nature of his interactions with tech leaders like Tim Cook, reflecting a broader pattern of business figures seeking favor with the White House.

President Donald Trump highlighted Tim Cook in an extensive Truth Social message on Tuesday, describing the departing Apple CEO as an “incredible guy” and highlighting how Cook reached out to him during a time of need.

“For me it began with a phone call from Tim at the beginning of my First Term,” Trump wrote. “He had a fairly large problem that only I, as President, could fix.”

Trump continued, “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.'”

Representatives from Apple didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment on Trump’s Truth Social post.

The post is emblematic of White House relationship dynamics under Trump. Business leaders have at times shown a willingness to indulge the president in order to advance their interests.

Daniel Weiner, director of the Elections and Government Program at the Brennan Center for Justice, said Trump’s post was a view into his “nakedly transactional and also nakedly personalistic approach to governing.”

“It is this idea that the expectation is that CEOs of powerful companies should just call him up and offer homage, and in exchange get favors,” Weiner said. “It may be the way governance has happened in reality at various points In our history, but it’s certainly never been the ideal. And now it is kind of being extolled as the idea.”

Cook, who is stepping down after a nearly 15-year tenure, has been particularly effective at navigating the administration. He appealed directly to Trump during his first and second term to shape policies on taxes, tariffs and a number of other issues impacting the iPhone maker.

The overtures often worked. Last year, Cook secured an exemption from Trump’s sweeping tariffs on phones, computers and chips, which are critical to Apple’s bottom line. Trump acknowledged that he “helped Tim Cook” with the move, though the White House has denied granting favors to benefit specific companies.

“During my five years as President, Tim would call me, but never too much, and I would help him where I could,” Trump wrote on Tuesday. “Years latter [sic], after 3 or 4 BIG HELPS, I started to say to people, anyone who would listen, that this guy is an amazing manager and leader.”

Cook, in some cases, went beyond phone calls to appeal to Trump. In August, he presented Trump with a 24-karat gold and glass statue bearing the words “Made in U.S.A.” as Apple announced an additional $100 billion commitment to American manufacturing.

John Ternus, currently a senior vice president of hardware engineering, will take the helm on Sept.1 and Cook will assume the role of executive chairman. Apple hinted that it will continue to leverage Cook’s deft handling of politicians.

“Cook will assist with certain aspects of the company, including engaging with policymakers around the world,” Apple said in a press release.

Tech cozies up

Trump’s unfiltered insight into how Cook won his favor comes as other Silicon Valley leaders have followed a similar playbook.

Tech executives from Amazon, Apple, Google and Meta have dined with Trump during his first and second administrations. They also donated millions to his inauguration fund and the president’s planned $300 million White House ballroom.

Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, spent more than more than a quarter of a billion dollars to put Trump back into the White House. He also took a position leading the Department of Government Efficiency, an effort by the Trump administration to slash federal capacity.

Despite a public clash over Trump’s “big, beautiful bill,” Musk, who is the world’s wealthiest individual, has stayed close with the President. He attended a White House dinner with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in November, and reportedly joined a phone call in March between Trump and India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

A White House dinner with tech CEOs last September drew heavy scrutiny after each of the attendees took turns praising Trump.

Following the event, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg was heard on a hot mic deferring to Trump on how to frame his company’s spending plans after he said the company would invest “at least $600 billion through ’28 in the U.S.”

A few moments later, Zuckerberg said to Trump, who was seated next to him, “I’m sorry, I wasn’t ready to do our… I wasn’t sure what number you wanted to go with.”

Zuckerberg later addressed the hot mic moment in a Threads post, saying he was confused at the time because Meta was weighing investing “even more” in the U.S. beyond 2028.

“I wasn’t sure which number he was asking about, so I just shared the lower number through ’28 and clarified with him afterwards,” Zuckerberg wrote.

Intel took a page from Cook’s playbook after Trump pressed its CEO Lip-Bu Tan to resign following reports of Tan’s ties to China. After Tan went to the White House for a face-to-face meeting, Trump called him a “success.”

The following week, the U.S. government took a 10% stake in Intel through an $8.9 billion investment. That came from CHIPS Act grants that hadn’t been paid and government awards for semiconductor manufacturing.

Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI and a donor to Biden’s 2024 re-election campaign, was a former Trump critic who changed his tune in 2025. He posted to X in January of that year: “watching @potus more carefully recently has really changed my perspective on him.”

Later in 2025, Trump issued a sweeping executive order preempting many state-level regulations of AI in what was a massive win for Altman and other industry leaders who had been urging such action.

Altman has flanked Trump at several high-profile AI announcements, including Trump’s Stargate joint venture and another project in the United Arab Emirates, which were both unveiled last year.

The startup CEO has maintained a close relationship with Trump in his second term, also scored a deal with the Pentagon to deploy advanced AI systems in classified environments, hours after its rival Anthropic was blacklisted by the administration.

OpenAI co-founder and president Greg Brockman reportedly donated $25 million to Trump’s super PAC, MAGA Inc., in September.

Amazon and founder Jeff Bezos have cozied up to Trump during his second term in the White House, a sharp contrast from his first term, when Trump frequently attacked the e-retailer. The president often hurled insults at Bezos and his ownership of The Washington Post, as well as his tax record.

The Trump administration last year praised Bezos, who appeared on stage at Trump’s inauguration, for his decision to revamp the Post’s editorial pages to focus on “personal liberties and free markets.”

Last April, Trump said Bezos, who stepped down as Amazon’s CEO in 2021, was “terrific” and “a good guy” after the billionaire assured Trump that the company had no plans to display tariff-related surcharges on its website.

Amazon has been criticized for its $75 million investment in “Melania,” a documentary about the first lady that was produced by Amazon MGM Studios and Melania Trump. Lawmakers called the move a “pay-to-play scheme” and questioned why the company paid far more than is usual for documentaries.

Amazon insisted it did nothing “improper,” according to Variety.

Media overtures

Companies outside of Silicon Valley have also gone to great lengths to win over the president.

Last year, Paramount, which owns CBS, agreed to settle with Trump for $16 million after the president filed a lawsuit alleging an interview with Kamala Harris on “60 Minutes” was deceptively edited to make the then-Democratic presidential nominee look better.

At the time, the lawsuit was viewed by some at Paramount as a potential obstacle to the company’s sale to Skydance, which needed Trump administration approval.

Paramount at the time said the lawsuit was “completely separate from and unrelated to the Skydance transaction.”

ABC was widely rebuked after it agreed to pay $15 million toward Trump’s presidential library and $1 million in legal fees to settle a defamation lawsuit he brought against the network and anchor George Stephanopoulos.

The lawsuit centered on an interview where the anchor said a jury had found Trump “liable for rape” in two lawsuits filed by the columnist E Jean Carroll.

In May 2023, Trump was found liable for sexually assaulting and defaming Carroll and ordered to pay $5 million. In January 2024, Trump was also found liable for defamation in a separate lawsuit brought by Carroll.

In 2025, ABC, and its parent company Disney, drew more fire after suspending late-night host Jimmy Kimmel for comments he made in the wake of Charlie Kirk’s assassination.

ABC and Disney were under pressure from Federal Communications Commission Chair Brendan Carr, a Trump appointee, as well as from Nexstar Media Group, a company that owns local ABC affiliates.

Nexstar — which was pursuing a merger with a rival, called Tegna, and needed FCC approval — had threatened to preempt Kimmel’s late-night show on the stations it owned, effectively blacking out the program in parts of the U.S.

The White House disputed that Kimmel was suspended because of pressure from the Trump administration

Kimmel’s suspension ended after less than a week.

Nexstar’s bid to merge with Tegna was approved by the FCC, though the acquisition was paused by a federal judge last week.

Technologies

Trump Maintains US‑Iran Negotiations Continue Amid Tehran’s Denials of Duplicity

President Trump insists that US‑Iran talks are ongoing despite Tehran’s denial of any negotiation plans, while warning that only a deal or total surrender will allow passage through the Strait of Hormuz. Conflicting statements from both sides have heightened uncertainty as the conflict enters its sixth month.

On Monday, President Donald Trump asserted that negotiations between the United States and Iran are still taking place, even after Tehran stated it has no intention of engaging in direct talks with Washington.

In a fiery Truth Social post, Trump labeled Iran’s leaders “unbelievably duplicitous,” claiming they are lying about ongoing peace talks “whether Iran wants to admit it or not.” He repeated his assertion that the United States completely controls the Strait of Hormuz, despite maritime traffic through the crucial route lingering at only a small fraction of pre‑conflict levels.

He wrote, “Nothing reaches Iran unless we allow it, and nothing will pass unless a deal—or total surrender—is achieved.”

Earlier that day, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei told reporters there is no imminent plan for U.S.–Iran negotiations, contradicting Trump’s earlier comment that talks would resume Monday afternoon. Baghaei added that Iran’s only current discussions are with Oman concerning the Strait of Hormuz.

The conflicting statements have heightened uncertainty over the peace‑talk process and the broader conflict, now in its sixth month.

Trump’s assertion about new negotiations came a day after he said on Truth Social that he had agreed to cancel a massive strike against Iran “subject to being able to rapidly make a DEAL.” He said in the same post that Iran and other Middle Eastern countries had asked him to hold off on that attack because “the perimeters of a deal has been agreed to.”

Trump has claimed dozens of times throughout the more‑than‑five‑month‑long war that a deal is at hand. No permanent deal has been signed, and a temporary ceasefire reached in June has fallen apart.

Trump has also repeatedly threatened to launch devastating strikes against Iran before backing off. After the latest example, oil prices on Monday fell and stocks surged.

BMI, a research unit of Fitch Solutions, said in a note Monday that a broader diplomatic understanding on reopening the Strait of Hormuz is still achievable this quarter, while raising the probability of its escalation scenario to 35% from 25%, citing mounting military, diplomatic and economic signs of rising U.S.-Iran tensions.

“Diplomatic progress is likely to be punctuated by periodic military flare-ups, while miscalculation by either side could trigger a renewed escalation,” BMI analysts wrote in a note. The firm said the key issue to watch is the future governance of the strait, as the Iran-Oman talks — potentially backed by Gulf states, China and the U.S. — point to efforts to build a post-conflict shipping framework.

Shipping risks persist even as diplomacy appears to be advancing. The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations Centre said it received a report of an incident 20 nautical miles (23 miles) northeast of Khasab, Oman — at the mouth of the strait — with a tanker’s master reporting an explosion in close proximity to the vessel at about 20:37 UTC Sunday (4:37 pm ET). The vessel and crew were safe and authorities are investigating, UKMTO said, advising ships to transit with caution.

The proposal Trump announced over the weekend calls for the U.S. and Iran to return to negotiations and continue ironing out some of the thorny issues that had derailed diplomatic efforts, according to The Associated Press, citing a regional official involved in the mediation efforts.

The official said the proposal also includes a reopening of the Hormuz Strait and halting attacks across the region, including by Iranian-backed militias in Iraq on the Arab Gulf countries and Jordan.

The U.S., for its part, will end its naval blockade on Iran and allow Tehran to export its oil, the official said, adding that no deal has been reached, although the mediation efforts remained underway.

Trump’s weekend reversal has lowered the temperature after days of escalating attacks across the Gulf. Kuwait said Saturday that Iranian forces launched a wave of drones within its airspace, with its military destroying multiple aircraft after Iran targeted critical infrastructure in the country’s north.

A parallel track with Muscat is also advancing. Iranian diplomats said Tehran was close to reaching a new arrangement with Oman to manage shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, a deal critical to preventing the war from escalating further, according to the Financial Times.

Iranian officials said negotiations over future management of the Hormuz Strait with Oman, which sits on the opposite shore of the waterway, are in their final stages. The agreed shipping route would be different from those used before, according to Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Baghaei, adding that the new route was separate from the issue of the strait’s reopening or continued closure.

Technologies

Oil Prices Slide as Trump Halts Planned Iran Strike

Oil prices dropped after Trump cancelled a planned strike on Iran, with WTI down about 5% and Brent near 5% lower. He said the move followed requests from Tehran and regional allies for a pause while a deal shaping the Strait of Hormuz and Iran’s nuclear program is negotiated.

Oil prices fell on Monday after President Donald Trump announced he had cancelled a planned strike on Iran. WTI futures dropped roughly 5% to $80.34 a barrel, while Brent slipped about 4.7% to $83.77 a barrel.

Trump said early Sunday he called off the strike after Iran and several Middle Eastern nations asked him to hold off, noting that the outlines of a deal had been agreed upon. He added that the prospective accord would entail the immediate, full opening of the Strait of Hormuz and an end to Iran’s nuclear ambitions, according to his Truth Social post.

The president had been considering another round of strikes as diplomatic hopes waned since the conflict began on February 28. He said the U.S. and Iran would meet for talks on Monday, but Iran denied any scheduled negotiations with Washington, citing PressTV. Iran’s foreign‑ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei clarified that Tehran was only discussing shipping routes through the Strait of Hormuz with Oman. In a follow‑up Truth Social message, Trump insisted that, regardless of Iran’s acknowledgment, the United States is indeed discussing a solution to a long‑standing problem created by Iran.

Technologies

Oil Prices Drop as Trump Cancels Planned Attack on Iran

Oil prices fell sharply after President Trump announced the cancellation of a planned strike on Iran, citing a new deal that would open the Hormuz Strait and end Iran’s nuclear threat.

Oil prices fell sharply on Monday after President Donald Trump announced that he had called off a planned strike on Iran.

West Texas Intermediate futures, the U.S. benchmark, slipped roughly 5% to close at $80.34 per barrel, while Brent crude, the international benchmark, declined 4.7% to settle at $83.77 a barrel.

Trump made the announcement early Sunday, saying he had canceled the strike following requests from Tehran and other Middle Eastern countries.

In a Truth Social post, he wrote: “We have just been asked by Iran, and other Middle Eastern Countries, to hold off any attack in that the perimeters of a deal has been agreed to.”

The president indicated that the proposed agreement would include the immediate, complete, and total opening of the Hormuz Strait, as well as an end to Iran’s nuclear threat.

Trump had been weighing additional strikes amid diminishing prospects for a diplomatic resolution to the conflict that began on Feb. 28. He stated that the U.S. and Iran would hold negotiations on Monday.

Tehran denied that talks were planned with Washington, according to state news outlet PressTV.

Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said Tehran was only holding talks with Oman regarding the routes ships can use through the Strait of Hormuz.

In a subsequent Truth Social post, Trump added that whether “Iran wants to admit it or not, we are, in fact, talking of a solution to a problem that they have caused for decades.”