Apple CEO Tim Cook appeared virtually at a gathering of business executives this week to celebrate President Trump’s first 100 days in office. “I wanna take a moment to recognize President Trump’s focus on domestic semiconductor manufacturing, and we will continue to work with the administration as we invest in these areas,” Cook said during his pre-recorded comments.
In his commentary, Cook touted Apple’s announcement of a $500 billion investment in the United States over the next four years and the company’s long history of working with domestic suppliers.
The White House shared a video of Cook’s comments on YouTube. Here’s the transcript:
“Hi, everyone. I’m sorry I couldn’t be with you today, but I’m glad to have the chance to speak. I’ve always said that Apple could only have been created in the United States. We are a uniquely American company and we care deeply about our impact on this country. That’s why we recently announced plans to spend five hundred billion dollars here over the next four years. We’re expanding our teams and our facilities in several states, including Michigan, Texas, California, Arizona, Nevada, Iowa, Oregon, North Carolina, and Washington. We’re also establishing a new factory for advanced AI servers in Texas, and we’ll be doubling our US advanced manufacturing fund to help companies expand in America.
We are proud to create millions of jobs here and to make significant investments to catalyze a new era of advanced manufacturing, and we’re proud to support businesses all across the country that help us deliver for our users. All told, we have more than nine thousand suppliers in the US across all fifty states.
We work with American companies to source everything from the components we used for Face ID to the glass used an iPhone. And we expect to source more than nineteen billion chips this year in America from companies across a dozen states. That includes tens of millions of advanced chips being made right now by TSMC in Arizona, where we are the first and largest customer.
I wanna take a moment to recognize President Trump’s focus on domestic semiconductor manufacturing, and we will continue to work with the administration as we invest in these areas. Needless to say, we are excited for the future of American innovation and the incredible opportunities it will create and we are honored to do our part.”
Cook has cozied up to Trump several times since he won reelection in November. In December, the Apple CEO met with Trump at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida. He also donated $1 million to Trump’s inauguration fund and subsequently attended the inauguration in January. Additionally, Cook has closely communicated with the Trump administration regarding the ongoing tariff saga and how it could impact Apple.
During Apple’s fiscal Q2 earnings call on Thursday, Cook repeatedly touted Apple’s investment in the United States economy. “Obviously, we’re very engaged on the tariff discussions,” Cook also said to analysts. “We believe in engagement and will continue to engage.”
9to5Mac’s Take
The reality is that Cook should be thanking former President Biden for his focus on domestic semiconductor manufacturing … and Cook very well knows that.
In 2022, Cook and Biden paid a visit to the TSMC semiconductor plant in Arizona, touting a substantial expansion of TSMC’s investment in the United States made possible CHIPS Act that Biden signed into law. In his comments at that event, Cook said:
“We’re joined this afternoon by President Biden, whose presence sends a powerful signal about the signficance of this moment. President Biden, thank you for your leadership, and thank you especially for signing the CHIPS Act into law, which will make more and more projects like this one possible. This is an incredibly exciting day for America, for Arizona, and for Apple too.”
TSMC’s initial investment was announced near the end of Trump’s first term. The project, however, has grown significantly in the years since thanks to the funding provided by the CHIPS Act passed during Biden’s tenure.
Trump, meanwhile, has called the CHIPS Act “ridiculous” and “horrible,” and threatened to withhold its funding.
I’m sure it’s an honest mistake that Cook has forgotten that Biden is to thank for these latest domestic semiconductor manufacturing advancements. I’m sure it has nothing to do with him looking for further reprieve from the nearly $1 billion impact the current administration’s tariff policies will have on its Q3 earnings.
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