Apple CEO Tim Cook gifts 24K gold and glass statue to Donald Trump after ‘Make in US’ pressure

Apple CEO Tim Cook presented a 24K gold gift to the US President Donald Trump as a symbol of its investment in the US.

Apple has announced that the company will heavily invest in the American Manufacturing Program (AMP), which aims to bring advanced manufacturing to the United States. With a symbol of its investment in the US, Apple CEO Tim Cook presented a custom-made gift to US President Donald Trump at the White House press conference. The unique piece of gift consists of a circular glass, made by Corning, which manufactures iPhone glass, and a 24K gold base. Tim Cook also highlighted that there’s only 1 unit of this piece, and it has been designed and built in the USA.

Apple announced $600 billion investment plan to bring manufacturing to the US. (REUTERS)

By Aishwarya Panda

Aishwarya Panda is a Senior Content Producer at Hindustan Times Digital Stream with nearly 4 years of experience in tech content writing. She is passionate about writing and exploring her interests in the ever-evolving world of technology. She loves to get her hands on new tech products and gadgets, especially in the space of smartphones.

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Apple’s unique gift to President Donald Trump

At the White House press conference, Tim Cook gave a thoughtful gift to President Trump as a commitment to the United States for bringing a $600 billion investment plan over four years. This investment will primarily focus on shifting Apple’s supply chain and advanced manufacturing hubs to the US.

At the conference, Cook highlighted the uniqueness of the gift, which is all built in the US. As mentioned above, the showpiece consists of circular glass made by Corning. It mentions “President Donald Trump” along with a massive Apple logo, Tim Cook’s signature. We can also spot the “Made in USA” with the year 2025. The glass is designed by a former US Marine Corps corporal who is working at Apple. The glass was placed over a 24K gold base, which comes from Utah.

This gesture may have come as a move to foster relationships with the President and for the betterment of the US. Over the past few months, Trump has shown disapproval of manufacturing components in China and India. The US government has also threatened Apple with tariff hikes if they do not bring manufacturing to the home country.

Now, with Apple’s growing investment plans, Tim Cook said, “We're proud to increase our investments across the United States to $600 billion over four years and launch our new American Manufacturing Program.” This program will be partnered by over 10 companies, including Corning, Coherent, GlobalWafers America, Applied Materials, Amkor, Texas Instruments, Samsung, GlobalFoundries, and Broadcom. These companies will produce components for the Apple products.