Tim Cook to personally contribute $1 million for Trump's inauguration

Tim Cook will personally donate $1 million to the presidential inauguration of Donald Trump. In this way, the Apple CEO joins other Silicon Valley colleagues and companies that will also contribute to the cause. Trump and Cook have cultivated a good working relationship over the years and  had dinner together several weeks ago at Mar-a-Lago.

Trump will begin his second term in the White House on Jan. 20 and at that point will become only the second president to serve two non-consecutive terms since Grover Cleveland who did so from 1885 to 1889 and then from 1893 to 1897.

In addition to Cook, the other seven-figure Silicon Valley donors to the inauguration are Amazon, Meta, Uber and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman. Goldman Sachs, Bank of America, Kraken, Coinbase, Toyota, Ford and GM will also donate at least $1 million.

The relationship between Trump and Cook

The two held several meetings during the first Trump Administration, but their relationship was highlighted during the last presidential campaign. In late October, Trump participated in Patrick Bet-David's podcast, where he revealed some conversations they had in recent months. According to the former president, Cook called him personally after the judicial arm of the European Union ruled that Apple owed some $15 billion in back taxes.

Trump has 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 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," Cook wrote on his X account.