'Called Me To Kiss My A**': Trump Turns Apple CEO's Departure Into Self-Promotion Again

Last Updated:April 21, 2026, 18:21 IST

Donald Trump praised Tim Cook as an "incredible guy", hours after the Apple CEO said he would step down from his position after a 15-year run.

US President Donald Trump on Monday praised Tim Cook, hours after the Apple CEO said he would step down from his position after a 15-year run. However, as with his other social media posts, the US president could not help but make it all about himself.

Taking to Truth Social, Trump said he had always been a “big fan" of Cook and that Steve Jobs, Apple’s co-founder, would not have been able to run the company better than Cook. Trump also said that Cook had an “amazing, almost incomparable" career, with the president as his biggest supporter.

Recalling a phone call by Cook at the beginning of his first term, Trump said, “He had a fairly large problem that only I, as President, could fix… When I got the call, I said, wow, it’s Tim Apple (Cook!) calling, how big is that? I was very impressed with myself to have the head of Apple calling to “kiss my ass"."

“He explained his problem, a tough one it was, I felt he was right and got it taken care of, quickly and effectively. That was the beginning of a long and very nice relationship," he added.

During his first five years as President, Trump said Tim would call him, but never too much, and that he would help him where he could. “Years latter, after 3 or 4 BIG HELPS, I started to say to people, anyone who would listen, that this guy is an amazing manager and leader. He makes these calls to me, I help him out (but not always, because he will, on occasion, be too aggressive in his ask!)" he added.

Trump concluded by saying Cook would go on continue to do great work for Apple or anywhere he works, calling him an “incredible guy".

ALSO READ: Who Is John Ternus? Meet The Engineer Set To Replace Tim Cook As Apple’s New CEO

The 65-year-old Cook, who ran Apple for 15 years after taking the reins from its visionary co-founder Steve Jobs, will be succeeded by John Ternus, a senior vice president of hardware engineering. “It has been the greatest privilege of my life to be the CEO of Apple and to have been trusted to lead such an extraordinary company," Cook said in a statement.

Last year, Cook gifted Trump a gold and glass sculpture during a meeting in the Oval Office and announced an additional $100 billion investment in American manufacturing, and in October, Apple agreed to remove an app that could track US immigration agents.

News world 'Called Me To Kiss My A**': Trump Turns Apple CEO's Departure Into Self-Promotion Again

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