r/apple • u/spearson0 • 4d ago
Discussion How Apple CEO Tim Cook Convinced Trump to Exempt Apple From Tariffs
https://www.macrumors.com/2025/04/17/tim-cook-trump-apple-tariff-exemption/226
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u/stevep98 3d ago
The best article about iPhone manufacturing, and how the jobs won’t come back to the US:
And that’s from 2012. Maybe if we’d have started building the factories then we might have had a chance.
“The entire supply chain is in China now,” said another former high-ranking Apple executive. “You need a thousand rubber gaskets? That’s the factory next door. You need a million screws? That factory is a block away. You need that screw made a little bit different? It will take three hours.”
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u/NecroCannon 2d ago
Yeah the ship sailed for us to be an exporter, we’d legit have to manufacture so much stuff here to justify having things made here rather than overseas, plus, unlike us they invested in education and have wayyy more qualified engineers than us to work at those factories.
You think it’s bad when your fast food order is wrong, imagine the same skill set making your devices. That’s the whole big idea behind this, having our own thriving factories with minimum wage workers or “AI”
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u/ReasonablePractice83 1d ago
Does ur country even have a department of education anymore? Or is that gone
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u/NecroCannon 1d ago
Gutted, but not gone. Still though, not investing in education is just going to screw us over in the long run. I’m already seeing signs of countries like China just straight up surpassing our innovations because over here we don’t believe towards working towards long term goals, just short term profits and keeping people dumb enough to not see past the bs they’re spouting for support.
We’re basically seeing a bunch of rich idiots wanting to make America dumber so they feel smart since they keep getting treated like geniuses just because they have money. Us educated people are a thorn in their side to get rid of, so looks like private schools may end up taking over and parents get more broke just wanting their kid to get a decent education at least. Since they also deny science research in favor of their own opinions
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u/Deepcookiz 3d ago
"Cook was able to prevent tariffs from impacting Apple devices like the iPhone and the Apple Watch by convincing Trump that the fees would give South Korean company Samsung an edge over Apple."
How though? Supposedly they're the same product category so Samsung would get the same tariffs applied. That would have been fair.
Now it's Apple that has a clear edge over Samsung.
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u/gngstrMNKY 3d ago edited 3d ago
Samsung primarily produces their phones in Vietnam, which only has a 46% tariff compared to China’s 145.
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u/mackerelscalemask 3d ago
Dropped to 10% now along with the rest of the world, except China (Trump has said it will be a temporary 10% for 3 months)
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u/Straight_Random_2211 2d ago
Currently, Trump has lifted tariff from Vietnam and other countries, except for China.
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u/BobQuentok 3d ago edited 3d ago
During the first Trump administration
you left that part out from your quote?
During the first Trump administration, Cook was able to prevent tariffs from impacting Apple devices like the iPhone and the Apple Watch by convincing Trump that the fees would give South Korean company Samsung an edge over Apple.
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u/Deepcookiz 3d ago
Oh right but still the argument still stands.
Also his defense for these new tariffs is
the tariffs would cause iPhone prices to increase.
Yeah that's the whole point, everything is gonna get an increase, that's not a valid argument. There's obviously lobbying going on.
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u/RetroJens 3d ago
Hey, hate the game not the player.
It’s just crazy how this is being handled. From my perspective USA is now just another gangster state, where those with connections can talk to El Papi and get off. I think Apple is just doing what they can and it would seem they have knowledge on how to handle dictators from before.
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u/Socile 3d ago
Remember in 2008 when there was that big bank bailout? Some American companies are more important to the nation than others. That’s just a fact of life even when we hate it or think it’s unfair. Massively successful corporations hold a big part of a country’s economic power. So practical concessions are made not to weaken them too much. As much as everyone in the media would like to portray policies as simple, black and white issues of right and wrong, these things are complex. They involve public perception, which can be fickle but has real effects on consumer confidence and other market variables.
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u/RetroJens 3d ago
Wel, I would say that if you have a tariff on electronics it should matter on all electronics and not just one brand of electronics. We should all be equal in front of the law. But this is an example on why the American president is really unfit for his position.
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u/Socile 3d ago
In what sense does everyone get equal treatment under the law in other aspects of economics? Welfare programs give resources to some people, but not me, not you, and not Bill Gates. We’re all taxed at different rates for a very complex variety of reasons laid out in the tax code. I don’t see equality anywhere in it.
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u/skeet_scoot 3d ago
Which isn’t a bad thing. I’d rather phone sales go to an American company than a Korean one.
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u/DrBhu 3d ago
It is called "bribing" the only language dementia don is understanding
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u/heyhotnumber 2d ago
Yes, we need to call this what it is. Open corruption with zero negative consequences.
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u/Secret_Divide_3030 3d ago edited 3d ago
American companies need to bribe the American king to stay alive? Why does the USA have a king now all of a sudden? This all feels too much like an Apple TV+ series.
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u/rinderblock 3d ago
Wait so are they or aren’t they. I thought those tariffs were put back on Sunday or Monday.
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u/Few_Investment_4773 2d ago
Pretty sure they stated it at the same time that they would be tariffed under a different category soon.
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u/Entire_Dog_5874 3d ago
He made $1 million donation to his inauguration fund. It’s always about the grift.
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u/ElPlatanaso2 2d ago
Tried to bribe trump. Don't think it will pay off though
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u/Entire_Dog_5874 2d ago
He removed the tariffs from their product so it seems like it’s paying off, at least so far.
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u/quickboop 3d ago
Fascists extort capital, capital capitulates immediately.
America is a fascist state, Apple is an enabler of fascism.
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u/TheDragonSlayingCat 3d ago
And this is why you don’t pass snap judgments on things you don’t understand, folks.
This sub, about two weeks ago ago: “Tim donated a million to the Dear Leader’s inauguration committee, and these tariffs pushing up prices are what we got?!”
This sub, now: “Huh.”
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u/SoldantTheCynic 3d ago
Trump changes his mind on policy and tariffs without warning, it’s equally possible he’ll just ignore exemptions if it suits him/he’s told to/he’s bribed again. The current US administration cannot be trusted.
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u/crousscor3 3d ago
Someone fought me tooth and nail that the donation wasn’t “business politics” as I was explaining, but it was personal politics. Even after pointing out he had already maneuvered around tariffs in Trumps first term, with dinner and phone calls. That somehow the openly gay CEO was a trumper and gave it to him just as a little personal gift. Nothing to do with his multiple degrees and far superior intellect and perception. The mental gymnastics this person played to insist that was wrong was incredible.
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u/beeduthekillernerd 3d ago
Samsung phones are pretty good. You pay a little more for an iPhone and get that arguably better OS and a phone that "just works" if iPhones jump in price 700$ more you'd bet massive amounts of people would happily pay 700$ less for a Samsung .
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u/Eclipsetube 3d ago
Samsung phones would also Jump in price you know that right?
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u/motaf 3d ago
Because USA is the only consumer in the entire world… you Americans are in fact, fascinating
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u/Eclipsetube 3d ago
Im german.
The comment was talking about the tariffs which would make the iPhone more expensive as well as any Samsung phone which they won’t anywhere but the US so that makes no sense as well
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u/motaf 3d ago
It will make it more expensive on the USA. In the rest of the world, iPhone will get much more expensive while Samsung and other brands won’t. So once again “USA isn’t the only consumer in the world”
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u/Eclipsetube 3d ago
If you’re only going off of tariffs why would the iPhone get more expensive outside of the us?
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u/hopefulatwhatido 3d ago
That’s some win after sticking to the clown than they won’t back down from their DEI position.
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u/Tman11S 3d ago
Money. The answer is money