America's Ceos Come to the White House Bearing Gifts and Flattery
Apple CEO Tim Cook, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang and the leaders of other highly valued tech companies have forged alliances with President Donald Trump through sometimes-fawning spectacles and delicate behind-the-scenes conversations. The administration has rolled out industry-friendly executive orders and exemptions from policies that threatened these owners' multitrillion-dollar businesses.
The exchanges highlight how corporations have changed their lobbying strategies to adapt to a uniquely transactional president who prioritizes wins and deals. Executives who have long outsourced the messy practice of lobbying to consultants or dark-money groups have learned that the best way to shape Trump's policies is often through a late-night call to the president or a visit to one of his golf resorts.
The CEOs who have pulled off these charm offensives largely have been rewarded by Wall Street, with some companies reaching record valuations. But Trump has also used the powers of his office to threaten those who don't stay on his good side.
'The administration has a good working relationship with industry leaders, businesses and other stakeholders to deliver on President Trump's mandate to Make America Wealthy Again,' White House spokesman Davis Ingle said. 'The only special interest that guides President Trump's decision-making, however, is the best interest of the American people.'
Apple CEO Tim Cook
'This glass comes off the Corning line and was engraved for President Trump. It's a unique unit of one. … And the base, comes from Utah and is 24-karat gold.'
– Cook said Aug. 6 as he gifted a customized plaque with a 24-karat gold base to Trump
Cook was the first Silicon Valley CEO to tame Trump during the president's first term. But in the Oval Office on Wednesday, it appeared Trump brought the leader of the $3 trillion company to heel.
Cook joined Trump to announce that Apple would invest an additional $100 billion in U.S. manufacturing over the next four years. He presented the president a glass plate made in Kentucky, a symbol of the company's plans to shift manufacturing of the high-tech glass needed for iPhones and Apple watches to the United States. The gift also had a 24-karat gold base, which was manufactured in Utah.
'You've been a great advocate for American innovation and manufacturing, and I'm grateful for your leadership and your commitment,' Cook said. 'That's a commitment we share at Apple, because American innovation is central to everything we do.'
The flattery appears to have paid off. Trump announced in the same meeting that he planned to levy 100 percent tariffs on semiconductors imported to the United States. Apple would be exempt, he said, because the company is building in the United States.
'Companies agreeing to reshore manufacturing back to the United States is the very point of the Administration's sectoral tariffs,' Ingle said.
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang
'America's unique advantage that no country could possibly have is President Trump.'
– Huang said July 23 at an artificial intelligence summit
Trump and Huang, the CEO of the AI chip powerhouse, met for the first time in January. But they have become fast allies. Huang has made frequent visits to Mar-a-Lago and the White House, according to people familiar with their relationship, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the private meetings.
Huang's warm relationship with Trump was on display at the 'Winning the AI Race' summit in Washington last month. After he praised the president onstage, Trump riffed about how he had talked with his aides about breaking the company up before he knew what it did. But Trump said his staff told him it would take 'the greatest minds' at least 10 years to catch Huang even if he ran Nvidia completely incompetently.
'And then I got to know Jensen and now I see why,' Trump said, asking Huang to stand up. 'What a job you've done.'
Trump in July granted Nvidia permission to sell to China its advanced H20 computer chips used to develop artificial intelligence, despite concerns from national security officials and prominent conservatives that such sales present a national security risk. That same month, Nvidia became the first company to reach a $4 trillion valuation.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk
'This man has devoted his energy and his life to doing this, and I think he's been treated very unfairly by a very small group of people. And I just want people to know that you can't be penalized for being a patriot. And he's a great patriot.'
– Trump, March 11
As Tesla's reputation suffered from Musk's stint in government, the president turned the White House lawn into a car show, announcing he would buy a Tesla.
'This man has devoted his energy and his life to doing this, and I think he's been treated very unfairly by a very small group of people,' Trump said, before he climbed into a cherry red Tesla Model S. 'And I just want people to know that you can't be penalized for being a patriot. And he's a great patriot.'
The episode highlighted Trump's willingness to use his bully pulpit to improve the fortunes of his friends. The months that followed highlighted the political peril of ending up on Trump's bad side.
After he and Musk publicly split in June, Trump threatened to revoke the government contracts and subsidies that have fueled Musk's businesses. Trump later walked back some of those threats, but he did sign legislation into law in July that eliminated tax subsidies for electric vehicles.
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman
'We wouldn't be able to do this without you, Mr. President. … The fact that we get to do this in the United States is, I think, wonderful.'
– Altman, Jan. 21
On Trump's second day back in the White House, a group of powerful CEOs stood by him at his first news conference.
Altman, Oracle CEO Larry Ellison and SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son joined Trump at the White House to unveil a $100 billion investment in AI data centers throughout the United States. The deal was the beginning of several multibillion-dollar corporate investments that the White House has dubbed the 'Trump effect,' touting the positive impact of Trump's policies on jobs and domestic manufacturing.
In fact, the deal the companies announced began under the Biden administration, and so far, has not come to fruition. The only Stargate data center announced as of August is in Abilene, Texas, and work on that structure predated Trump's inauguration.
In the months that followed, the White House has rolled out executive orders friendly to AI companies, including one that accelerates the federal permitting process for data centers.
The AI policies reflect Trump's positions on the campaign trail, Ingle said.
Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Google CEO Sundar Pichai and Musk
After Trump left the White House in disgrace after the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, tech executives kicked him off their platforms and landed on his enemies list. Four years later, they were guests of honor at his inauguration celebrations.
Amazon founder and Washington Post owner Bezos, Pichai, Zuckerberg, Cook and Musk had seats of honor among Trump's family members and Cabinet secretaries. TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew also was in the Rotunda, among a select number of guests permitted to attend after cold weather forced the event indoors.
The executives scored their seats after making big donations to Trump's $239 million inauguration fund. While they haven't received everything on their wish lists, they have largely averted new law enforcement investigations under the new administration. Trump has also signed executive orders to reprieve TikTok from a ban, which was mandated by a bipartisan law passed by Congress.
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