Apple Inc. CEO, Tim Cook, is expected to meet President Donald Trump in the White House on Thursday, while the technology giant faces growing uncertainty about American-Chinese trade tensions and confidentiality disputes with the US government.
Reunion, reported for the first time by Bloomberg, comes at a time When business leaders of all industries rush to mitigate the impact of the prices offered by Trump, which could disrupt supply chains and increase costs for American consumers.
A familiar source with the meeting said Cook and Trump will discuss A range of Problems, but the agenda has not been disclosed. However, analysts expect the conversation to revolve around two critical challenges for Apple: Trump’s prices on Chinese manufacturing and Apple continues the government’s requirements for the stolen door access to encrypted iPhones.
Register For TEKEDIA Mini-MBA Edition 16 (February 10 – May 3, 2025)) Today for early reductions.
Tekedia Ai in Masterclass Business open registration.
Join Tekedia Capital Syndicate and co-INivest in large world startups.
Register become a better CEO or director with CEO program and director of Tekedia.
Since the re-election of Trump, Cook has made a concerted effort to maintain a working relationship with the administration, attend the inauguration of Trump last month and visit his Mar-A-Lago domain during the presidential transition. However, the growing threat of scanning prices on technological products has prompted Apple and other American companies to seek how they will be affected and what they can do to protect their companies.
Apple, the most precious company in the world is particularly vulnerable to Trump’s aggressive trade policies, given its high dependence on China for manufacturing and the United States for sales. The president has repeatedly promised to impose prices on a wide range of imports, arguing that higher tasks will force American companies to return production to their homes.
Apple is based on Chinese manufacturers like Foxconn and Pegatron to assemble its flagship devices, including the iPhone. With a 10% price on Chinese manufacturing products already in place and the possibility of even higher tasks in the coming months, Apple could face higher production costs, forcing the company to increase Price for consumers or absorb the financial blow.
During Trump’s first term, cooking was able to negotiate The price cuts for certain Apple products, ensuring that key devices such as iPhone and macbooks have remained exempt from new tasks. However, this time aroundTrump suggested that these special exemptions are not granted.
Adding to Apple problems, China would plan to launch an antitrust survey on store costs in the company App Store,, a movement that Could compromise Apple’s domination in one of its greatest markets.
American companies are jostling to limit price repercussions
Apple is not alone in its concerns. Business leaders in several industries have rushed to assess the potential impact of Trump prices and design strategies to limit damage.
Since the re -election of Trump, CEOs of large companies – including car manufacturers, technology companies and retail giants – have have tenuous Internal meetings and strategy sessions to determine how to reduce the financial burden of new prices. Some companies consider Diversify supply chains, move production to other countries or increase prices on consumers.
Walmart financial director John David Rainey recently warned that if two -thirds of Walmart products come to the country, prices on imported products from Canada, Mexico and China would still have a training effect, increasing Costs for businesses and consumers.
“We have lived in a pricing environment in the past seven or eight years, and we will do what we know how to do,” Rainey told CNBC. “We will work with suppliers, we will look at our private brand and we will change the supply if necessary.”
Many companies fear that new steep prices can rekindle inflation, which had started to relax after a period of Rapid increase in prices during post-country economic recovery. The Federal Reserve has already taken into account the tariff debate on its calculations, recently warning that the new potential commercial restrictions could push higher inflation, forcing the Central Bank to delay interest rate reductions.
The federal reserve noted in its recent report that companies contact a number of The districts have indicated that companies would try to transmit higher contribution costs to consumers resulting from potential rates.
Privacy battle: Trump against Apple on encrypted phones
Beyond commercial concerns, the administration of Apple and Trump faced the confidentiality of the data, in particular concerning encrypted iPhones. Trump has long pressure on Apple to help the police to unlock criminal investigation devices. However, Apple has repeatedly refused to build a stolen door in its iOS system, citing user security risks.
Trump criticized Apple’s position on encryption, arguing that the company should cooperate more with federal police.
Apple, on the other hand, defended its privacy policies, arguing that the creation of a stolen door for a case would weaken security for all users.
Trump, who put pressure on more strict regulations on technological companies, the defenders of privacy fear that Apple will receive renewed pressure to compromise his encryption policies.
What’s at stake for Apple?
Analysts expect Cook’s meeting with Trump to have important implications for Apple’s future, especially in three key areas:
- Trade and prices – If Apple does not guarantee exemptions, it risks higher production costs, potential disturbances of the supply chain and more Price for consumers.
- China’s regulatory threats – An antitrust survey in China could undermine the income from the Apple App Store and threaten its Market position in Asia.
- Confidentiality and government access – Trump can push Apple to weaken its encryption policies, creating a precedent dangerous for digital confidentiality.
Although Cook has managed to face political challenges in the past, analysts warn that Apple’s current situation may be different.
Bank of America believes that everything that apple does with manufacturing, and wherever it does, the company will face a minimum price of 10%. In its calculation, the Bank of America added that Apple would be faced with a loss of 26 cents of profit per share. This is equivalent to a decrease of approximately 3% during the calendar year 2026.
