Trump praises outgoing Apple CEO Tim Cook, says he surpassed Steve Jobs' legacy

Published: 2026-04-21 11:58:14 ET AAPL

Published on 04/21/2026 at 11:58 am EDT

New York, Apr 21 (EFE).- United States President Donald Trump on Tuesday praised the outgoing Apple CEO Tim Cook's "amazing" career, saying the tech firm has performed better under him than it would have if Steve Jobs was alive and continued at the helm.

After the news broke out of Cook stepping down, Trump took to social media platform Truth Social, calling the Apple CEO an "amazing manager and leader" and recalling the close working relationship they shared.

"I have always been a big fan of Tim Cook, and likewise, Steve Jobs, but if Steve was not taken from the Planet Earth so young, and ran the company instead of Tim, the company would have done well, but nowhere near as well as it has under Tim," said the president.

Trump recalled that his ties to Apple's chief executive were consolidated following a phone call early in his presidency in 2017, in which Cook asked him to help solve a "fairly large" corporate problem that required government intervention.

"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'," Trump said.

"Anyway, 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.

Trump revealed that Cook preferred to contact him directly rather than rely on expensive outside consultants, and underlined his ability to sort complex issues directly.

"He makes these calls to me, I help him out (but not always, because he will, on occasion, be too aggressive in his ask!), and he gets the job done, QUICKLY, without a dime being given to those very expensive (millions of dollars!) consultants around town who sometimes get it done, and sometimes don't," said the Republican politician.

Trump concluded by saying that Cook had "had an AMAZING career, almost incomparable," and would continue to do great work on any future project.

Trump's recognition comes at a time of transition for the tech giant, a day after the announcement that Cook would step down after having held the company's top post since 2011, during which period Apple consolidated itself as the most valuable company in the world.

From Sep. 1, Cook will become the executive chairman of Apple's board of directors and John Ternus will take over as the next chief executive officer. EFE