Tim Cook appeals to Trump’s love of gold with a 24-karat base for Apple plaque
- Apple CEO Tim Cook presented Donald Trump with a custom-made gift highlighting American manufacturing when visiting the White House.
- The gift, a custom glass plaque with a gold base, aligned with Trump's "America First" policies and his love of gold.
- Apple announced $100 billion in new U.S. investments.
Apple CEO Tim Cook visited President Donald Trump at the White House on Aug. 6, and brought with him a custom gift that seemed to be tailored to the president's tastes.
The two announced Apple's $100 billion in new U.S. investment, an addition to the $500 billion previously announced, as the tech giant tries to protect its products from Trump's steep tariffs. Apple is also set to expand its factories in the U.S.
With trembling hands, Cook opened an Apple box he said was made in California, took out a circular plaque with an Apple-shaped cutout in the middle made of glass apparently made in Kentucky, and attributed the design to a former U.S. Marine Corps corporal who now works at Apple. The plaque was set in a 24-karat gold base Cook said was made in Utah.
Part of Trump's longstanding "America First" approach to policy is pushing to have more goods made in America. Though Trump has also been gifted a Tesla Cybertruck with a picture of himself on it and a framed copy of his grandfather's German birth certificate, Cook's gift appealed to more than just Trump's preference to have things made in America.
Trump adorns his space and the things he makes in gold.
Gold tweezers, gold sneakers and a gold guy in the White House
Trump's affinity for gold predates his time in the Oval Office. Here is a look at some of his golden adornments throughout the years:
- In 2006, Trump met porn star Stormy Daniels at a golf tournament in Lake Tahoe, as she testified during his hush money trial. She said that she saw a set of apparently golden manicure items like tweezers in his hotel suite. (Trump was found guilty of 34 counts of falsifying business records at that trial.)
- As a presidential hopeful, he updated his private plane in 2011 to a Boeing 757 and outfitted it with gold-leafed seatbelts and faucets, according to the New York Post.
- Trump Mobile was announced on the 10-year anniversary of Trump declaring his candidacy in 2015, when he famously rode down the golden escalator in Trump Tower.
- During his campaign for a second term, Trump sold gold sneakers for $399 and a limited edition gold watch for $100,000.
- The Trump Organization sells several gold tchotchkes under the "Golden Age of America" collection, including chocolate bars, ornaments, coin banks and playing cards that are fashioned like gold bars with Trump's name on them.
- Trump has brought in his "gold guy" from South Florida to adorn the Oval Office in the style of his Mar-A-Lago estate, according to the Wall Street Journal.
- Amid widespread immigration crackdowns and the return of a controversial travel ban, Trump announced a "gold card" visa that offers applicants residency and a path to U.S. citizenship for $5 million paid to the U.S. government.
Apple touts additional $100 billion in U.S. investment
Cook was one of several tech leaders who attended Trump's inauguration earlier this year.
Apple had said in February that it would spend $500 billion in U.S. investments over four years, but the Washington Post reported most of that would cover the regular cost of doing business. The White House announcement brings the total investment figure up to $600 billion.
Still, Apple broke ground on a Houston factory to make advanced AI servers earlier this year, and Trump said on Aug. 6 it would invest billions to construct data centers across the country, including in North Carolina, Iowa and Oregon.
"I'm proud to say that Apple is leading the creation of an end-to-end silicon supply chain right here in America," Cook said.
Trump said the planned 100% tariff on semiconductors and computer chips would not apply to companies that make a commitment to manufacture in the U.S., like Apple.
Contributing: Joey Garrison, Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy, Aysha Bagchi, Lauren Villagran, Marina Pitofsky, Jonathan Limehouse, Paste BN
Kinsey Crowley is the Trump Connect reporter for the Paste BN Network. Reach her at kcrowley@gannett.com. Follow her on X and TikTok @kinseycrowley or Bluesky at @kinseycrowley.bsky.social.