Apple CEO Tim Cook will be in attendance alongside several other tech CEOs at the January 20 inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump, reports Bloomberg.
The appearance from the tech titans comes as the industry has sought to warm relations with Trump following his victory last November, and despite frequent clashes during his first term in office. Many, including Cook, have traveled to Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, where the president-elect and Musk have held a series of private meetings and dinners to discuss plans for the coming term.
Earlier this month, Cook donated $1 million from his own personal funds to Trump’s inaugural fund, and Cook sent congratulations on social media site X when Trump won in November. Cook also made a visit to Mar-a-Lago in December, where he broke bread with Trump.
Tech CEOs have been kissing up to cozying up to Trump since his November election. Numerous large corporations, including Google, Amazon, Meta, Uber, OpenAI’s Sam Altman, Goldman Sachs, Bank of America, Toyota, Ford, GM, AT&T, have donated to Trump’s inauguration fund. So far, Trump has raised $200 million to finance the event.
Tech CEOs are making nice with Trump as they face new tariffs being put in place by the incoming administration. Cook and other CEOs are likely aiming for an exemption for their company. In 2019, Trump said Cook “made a good case” that tariffs would put Apple at a disadvantage.
Amazon’s Jeff Bezos, Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg, and Tesla’s Elon Musk will also make an appearance at the inauguration.
