Apple Receives Special Tariff Exemptions After CEO Cultivates Trump Relationship

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Cook’s ‘charm offensive’ through multiple dinners and meetings with Trump 2018-2019 secured Apple exemptions from China tariffs on iPhones and core products. Cook dined at Trump Tower, Bedminster golf course, attended White House state dinner, gave Trump Mac Pro plant tour. USTR granted Apple 10 of its 15 tariff-exclusion requests for Mac Pro components, reported September 20-21, 2019 (9to5Mac, Engadget); five were later denied (October 2019). Dates: the entry date 2018-01-01 is a placeholder marking the start of the 2018-2019 period, not the date of any event; the exemption decision was reported September 20-21, 2019.

Sources & Citations

[1] How To Avoid Paying Tariffs? Have a Friend in Washington · Oct 25, 2024 Tier 2

[2] Trump administration approves Apple Mac Pro tariff exemptions · Sep 20, 2019 Tier 2

[3] Apple Mac Pro US tariff exemptions · Sep 21, 2019 Tier 2

[4] How Apple's Tim Cook navigated out of Trump's tariffs on China · Apr 17, 2025 Tier 1

[5] Trump's tariffs won't bite Apple, illustrating Tim Cook's political sway · Sep 18, 2018 Tier 1

[6] How Apple CEO Tim Cook Convinced Trump to Exempt Apple From Tariffs · Apr 17, 2025 Tier 2

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Cite this entry

The Cascade Ledger. “Apple Receives Special Tariff Exemptions After CEO Cultivates Trump Relationship.” The Capture Cascade Timeline, January 1, 2018. https://capturecascade.org/event/2018-01-01--apple-tariff-exemptions-tim-cook/