Amid US President Donald Trump’s incessant tariff threats, Apple CEO Tim Cook doubled down on the tech mammoth’s ‘America First‘ agenda. In addition to announcing the company’s new $100 billion investment in the US manufacturing, bringing the total to a staggering $600 billion commitment over the next four years.

Cook’s declaration in the Oval Office was a clear attempt to avert the president’s tariffs on imports that would result in higher costs of Apple‘s iPhone and computers in the US. And so, the company chief was basically left with no option but to “bend the knee to Trump,” as the Internet has been calling it.

Tim Cook meets Donald Trump: Apple CEO’s gift for the president

While at the meeting, Cook gifted the POTUS an engraved glass plaque, which was placed on top of a base (from Utah) made of 24 karat gold. He further shared that the present had been designed by an ex-Marine Corps corporal-turned-Apple employee. The “unique unit of one” piece of US-made glass bore the inscription:

“PRESIDENT DONALD J TRUMP

APPLE AMERICAN MANUFACTURING PROGRAM

(Tim Cook’s signature)

MADE IN USA

2025″

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Promising Trump that his company will keep making investments in America as well as hire the nation’s people, Cook said, “You’ve been a great advocate for American innovation and manufacturing.”

“Today, we’re proud to increase our investments across the United States to $600 billion over four years and launch our new American Manufacturing Program,” said the Apple boss, as per the company’s latest press release. “This includes new and expanded work with 10 companies across America. They produce components that are used in Apple products sold all over the world, and we’re grateful to the President for his support.”

Apple doubles down on US-made focus

The company’s $600 billion US investment entails Apple partnering without thousands of suppliers across all 50 American states. And so, the Apple American Manufacturing plan would be supporting over 450,000 suppliers and partner jobs.

The coming four years will witness Apple’s “plans to directly hire 20,000 people in the US  — the vast majority focused on R&D, silicon engineering, software development, and AI and machine learning.”

According to the tech giant’s press release this week, the US silicon supply chain is expected to producer over 19 billion chips for Apple products in 2025. The first American Manufacturing Program partners of the company include Corning,  Coherent, GlobalWafers America (GWA), Applied Materials, Texas Instruments (TI), Samsung, GlobalFoundries, Amkor, and Broadcom. They will assist Apple build on its prior commitment to stick to American-made rare earth magnets.

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Cook’s Wednesday deal has inevitably taken shape under Trump’s pressure. The MAGA leader didn’t back down either. Standing next to the Apple CEO, he affirmed that he would putting a tariff of approximately 100% on imported chips and semiconductors. In the same breath, he promised the “no charge” relief for those building in the US.

Internet reacts to Trump-Tim Cook meeting, Apple’s US commitment

Not everyone on social media was a fan of Tim Cook’s Oval Office gesture on Wednesday. Many took to the platform X and voiced their disappointment with the development.

“Tim Cook of Apple bends the knee to Trump,” wrote an anti-Trump administration page. “Another elite showing their true cowardice.” Another chimed in, “Apple CEO Tim Cook gifts Donald Trump a custom gold Apple product, this is also known as a bribe in exchange for preferential treatment & likely federal contracts.”

A third user said: “I am Apple through and through but seeing Tim Cook next to Trump spewing his tariff bollocks really makes me want to change. How can an intelligent man like Tim Cook not realise how bad Trump is for the world. This just makes me hate the US protectionism even more.”

A netizen even sympathised with Cook, saying, “I cannot blame Tim Cook for this tbh. Trump can just decide to spontaneously tariff Apple out of existence, and he knows the easiest way to get him not to is to give him a shiny object.”

‘Hold the Mic’ podcast host Ryan Shead also joined the critical bandwagon. “I will not take part in normalizing Donald Trump, a convicted felon, business fraud, sexual abuser, and accused pedophile,” he wrote on X. “Tim Cook, Apple, and the Olympic Committee should be ashamed of how they’re sucking up to Trump. But I’m sure they lack the self-awareness to experience that emotion.”

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Trump supporters swing the other way

Meanwhile, MAGA supporters couldn’t help but hail the move. “Apple’s CEO Tim Cook just gave a HUGE shoutout to Trump. He’s excited to invest in America… MIC DROP (fire emoji),” someone tweeted on X. Someone else added, “It’s very interesting to see how easy it is for Apple to bring manufacturing jobs back to America once President Trump’s tariffs properly motivated them.”

Meanwhile Former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich praised the outcome of the Trump-Tim Cook meeting, noting how it feels “like Christmas every single day” under the Republican president. “Rational people like Tim Cook are going: ‘Do I want to do it the way the president wants, or would I like to be crushed? They go: ‘You know, I’ve always wanted to be part of the team,'” he said on a Fox News interview.