Donald Trump dined with Tim Cook at Mar-a-Lago

Donald Trump dined with Tim Cook at Mar-a-Lago. As confirmed by The Associated Press, the president-elect hosted the Apple CEO on Friday night, less than a month away from taking office as president for a second term.

The meeting between Trump and Cook was confirmed to the media by "a person familiar with the matter who was not authorized to comment publicly."

During his first administration, Trump maintained a good relationship with Cook, even more fluid than with other tech leaders such as Mark Zuckerberg of Meta, Sundar Pichai of Google or Jack Dorsey, then at the helm of Twitter.

However, in recent months industry leaders have begun to improve their relationships with the now president-elect. Zuckerberg himself had dinner with Trump on Nov. 27. "This is an important moment for the future of American innovation. Mark appreciated the invitation to have dinner with President Trump and the opportunity to meet with members of his team about the incoming Administration," a spokesperson for Meta expressed.

As for his relationship with Cook, Trump participated in Patrick Bet-David's podcast in late October, where he revealed some conversations they had. According to the former president, Cook called him personally after the European Union's judicial arm ruled that the tech company owed some $15 billion in back taxes.

Trump also praised Cook's work, even comparing him to Steve Jobs. "I think if Tim Cook didn't run Apple, if Steve Jobs did, it wouldn't be half as successful as it is now. I think Tim Cook has done an incredible job. And I'm not criticizing Steve Jobs," he added.

The Apple CEO even publicly congratulated Trump on his presidential election victory over Kamala Harris. "Congratulations President Trump on your victory! We look forward to engaging with you and your administration to help make sure the United States continues to lead with and be fueled by ingenuity, innovation, and creativity," he wrote on his X account.