Apple CEO Tim Cook met with President-elect Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago on Friday, The New York Times reported.
Trump and Cook were schedule to have dinner on the patio at the president-elect’s Florida estate, according to sources familiar with the meeting. Cook was unique among tech execs during Trump’s first term as he sought to maintain a close relationship with the White House to aid the company in their various international legal battles.
Trump has been open to Cook’s concerns of European regulation in the past and previously had an ear with the president-elect’s daughter Ivanka Trump and son-in-law Jared Kushner. The two are not expected to have a role in the upcoming administration.
In October, Trump and Cook discussed a $2 billion fine levied on Apple in March by European authorities over what they considered unfair practices. Regulators in the EU accused Apple of thwarting competition among music streaming rivals, most notably from Sweden-based Spotify, and their role as gatekeepers of the App Store.
“I’m not going to let them take advantage of our companies,” Trump recalled telling Cook about the pending litigation. “That won’t be happening.”
In November Trump met with Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg. The meeting sent signals of the two icons seeking to mend strained relationships after many years. Trump had previously accused the social media giant of interfering in the 2020 presidential election. The president-elect is scheduled to meet with Amazon founder Jeff Bezos next week.
Cook received some push back from Apple’s base after he congratulated Trump on his presidential victory posting, “We look forward to engaging with you and your administration to help make sure the United States continues to lead with and be fueled by ingenuity, innovation, and creativity.”
