ICYMI: Warren Presses Apple CEO Tim Cook on Tariff Special Favors
Cook reportedly engaged with Trump administration following announcement of Trump’s China tariffs , resulting in massive tariff exemption for Apple products
Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) wrote to Apple CEO Tim Cook about a special tariff exemption for Apple and other tech firms following Cook’s conversation with Trump administration officials. A new report revealed that Tim Cook “went to work behind the scenes,” using his “very good relationship” with President Trump and his administration to win an exemption to Trump’s China tariffs, worth billions of dollars for Apple.
“I have already raised concerns that President Trump’s ‘trade policy is becoming a corrupt scheme to enrich administration officials and those loyal to them,’ and the circumstances surrounding Apple’s exemptions raise fresh concerns about influence-peddling by huge, well-connected corporations, and their ability to gain special favors from President Trump,” wrote Senator Warren.
On April 8, 2025, Trump announced additional tariffs on Chinese imports, which would have significantly raised the prices of Apple products. Following the announcement, Apple stock dropped by 7.65% — in addition to its over 15% plummet since Trump’s tariff “Liberation Day.”
President Trump had stated publicly that there would be no tariff exemptions. But a Washington Post report revealed that Cook almost immediately began engaging with the Trump administration following the tariff announcement, ultimately obtaining massive tariff carve-outs which even Trump himself said “helped Tim Cook…and that whole business.”
On April 12, the Trump administration announced exemptions for numerous electronic products from the roughly 145% tariff rate on goods produced in China. The exemption applied to a number of Apple products manufactured in China, including iPhones. Reports found that “Apple appears to be the only company that benefits from virtually all of [the exemptions].” Apple’s stock subsequently regained a significant portion of the value it initially lost following Trump’s “reciprocal tariffs” announcement.
“Even before the tariff announcement, Apple appeared to have invested heavily in influencing the Trump Administration, making a million-dollar contribution to President Trump’s inaugural Committee,” wrote Senator Warren. “You personally journeyed to Washington, D.C. to sit with the president’s family and cabinet nominees on the dais at his inauguration. And new reports indicate the extent to which you and Apple ‘went to work’ to receive special carve-outs.”
Last week, Senator Warren led over 45 lawmakers in writing to Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent, Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick, and U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) Jamieson Greer with concerns over the potential for corruption in the implementation of the administration’s chaotic tariffs.
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