Tim Cook‘s tenure as CEO is over. Apple still has an important task for him.
On Tuesday, Johannes Ternus took over from Cook as CEO. Following Apple’s previously announced succession plan, Cook is now executive chairman of Apple’s board of directors.
Cook, the man President Donald Trump which was unintentionally dubbed “Tim Apple” in 2019 will now engage “with policymakers around the world,” the tech company previously said.
He has a lot of experience with this, especially in an increasingly volatile Washington, where a technology company can go from a vital partner to a threat to national security in a matter of weeks.just ask Anthropic).
Under Cook’s leadership, Apple showered Trump with gifts, including a special inscription piece of glass with 24 carat gold base and a $5,999 custom Mac Pro. Cook personally donated $1 million to Trump’s inauguration, and Apple donated an undisclosed amount to the construction of the White House Ballroom, which will replace the now-demolished East Wing.
Trump praised Cook after Apple announced its succession plan.
“I have always been a big fan of Tim Cook, and also of Steve Jobs, but if Steve had not been taken from planet Earth so young and run the company instead of Tim, the company would have done well, but not nearly as well as it did under Tim,” Trump wrote in Truth Social on April 21.
If necessary, Cook Trump has also made major announcements, including an additional $100 billion investment in American manufacturing.
“Today’s announcement is one of the largest commitments in what has become one of the largest investment booms in our country’s history,” Trump said in August 2025 as Cook presented him with the plaque and news of the additional investments.
In the meantime, Apple has continued to produce iPhones abroad — despite occasional threats from Trump to curtail the practice — and has secured important tariff exemptions.
That doesn’t mean there hasn’t been a fuss. In May 2025, Trump said he told Cook he did not want Apple to build products in India.
“I had a little problem with Tim Cook yesterday,” Trump said said at the time. “I told him, ‘My friend, I have treated you very well. You come here with $500 billion, but now I hear that you are building all over India.’
Ternus doesn’t have the same type of background.
Ternus does not appear to have the same political background. Ternus’ largest donation appears to be the $5,800 he gave to Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer’s campaign in 2021, when Democrats had the Senate majority, according to federal campaign finance records.
Cook has also been present at the White House, from Trump’s second inauguration to the recent premiere of the Melania documentary. Cook has received some backlash his relationship with Trump, but he says he is neutral.
“What I do is I interact about policy, not politics,” Cook said in March. “I focus on policy, so I’m very happy that the president and the administration are accessible to talk about policy.”
Steve Jobs believed that everything should come from the customer experience. Apple can continue to rely on Cook’s knowledge of a very important customer.
