How Apple CEO Tim Cook Convinced Trump to Exempt Apple From Tariffs

[Warped9]

I promise you’ll feel better and it’s a lot better than harboring hate.

If you’re supporting Trump then you should know all about hate.

 

[turbineseaplane]

Most people don’t understand economics.

But you think Trump does?

Luckily he's pretty much always right and certainly more skilled and knowledgeable than is conventionally accepted

 

[Mainsail]

Yeah, we’re only ~40 trillion dollars in debt, we were doing great!👍

Which President incurred the greatest amount of debt in their 4 year term? Which President will be adding another $5 Trillion in debt by continuing tax cuts for the top 1%? Please, please, please don't tell me that Trump cares about the debt!

The truth is that when Biden left office, we had the best post-pandemic economy of any modern industrialized nation. We were the leader of the free world, with two new countries added to NATO (which now exists in name only because Trump has destroyed all trust with our allies). We helped other countries and in so doing helped ourselves. Violent crime was down. Inflation was down. Unemployment was down. The stock market was up. The basic institutions of government functioned. We also had some serious problems....no doubt. But, the framework existed to solve those problems in a lawful and democratic fashion.

I was a Republican for 40 years. Raised in a 100% Republican family. I have plenty of issues with the Democrats and some of their policies. But, what is going on right now is beyond belief.

 

[turbineseaplane]

Which President will be adding another $5 Trillion in debt by continuing tax cuts for the top 1%? Please, please, please don't tell me that Trump cares about the debt!

I literally can't understand how MAGA defenders square the circle on all the deficit concerns....

While being totally OK with tax cut extensions

"We are wet! It's way too wet in here!"
"But ...All of us getting pushed back into the running water in the shower is great!"

"We are way too wet" ... "Making us wetter is good!"

Like .. wut?

 

[macpro2000]

This was a quote from Trump's cabinet member. The counter was we also need rare earth elements to make our electronics, which China also has access to, but we don't. So this "5x vs. what we export" hardly paints the whole picture.

Last Week Tonight with John Oliver explains why the US is in trouble...

Trump is way smarter than John Oliver. lol

 

[macpro2000]

You're kidding. We need China way more than they need us. Trump's Taylor Made golf clubs are made in China.

Yeah, no so much.

 

[macpro2000]

Sorry but what do you know about Africa, the Middle East and Asia?
Developing nations are sick of America and have no trust left in its institutions. The president we all thought shouldn’t be one came back for his round two and is going even more crazy than he did the first time around.

I‘m not saying I like any of this, for almost 10 years now I’ve said NOTHING worries me more on this planet than China, and that still is true. But it seems the US lead „free world“ won’t be much longer.

Yes, we are doing this so we stay the leader. I'll all happen.

 

[macpro2000]

Not at all. They will simply move those people to new roles/jobs, and even completely transform an entire company to achieve it. That's what they did with Huawei, which evolved from primarily a phone manufacturer to an electric vehicle/parts manufacturer. They converted factories overnight to achieve this. For Apple, they could easily tell Foxconn that they no longer want them to assemble the iPhone and prefer them to assemble EV batteries instead.

This is what happens in a top-down statist system. Huawei operates as a profit-making company, but is answerable to the state, who sets priorities.

If you visit China, you will realize its citizens have become very loyal to the state. There is no revolution about to happen.

Yeah, not so much. They all already hurting.

 

[macpro2000]

I guess Kool-Aid is exempt from tariffs.

Going to be the best thing we've done in decades.

 

[macpro2000]

Yes, we are doing this so we stay the leader. I'll all happen.

Exciting times really.

 

[turbineseaplane]

Name the "racism and sexism" that is "getting 'installed' as policy."

We can start here

"Avoid the terms and phrases.."

Just some that really caught my eye here...


Girls
Minority
Underrepresented
Oppressed
Vulnerable

I say this to be kind and in hopes you'll seek it out, but there is more information out there than what's being shown, promoted and talked about on most RW sources.

Very key things are getting distorted or flat out omitted.

I know this because I talk to my very MAGA brother several times a week and note major discrepancies between what he thinks is going on ... and actually is.

 

[stevet]

Which President incurred the greatest amount of debt in their 4 year term? Which President will be adding another $5 Trillion in debt by continuing tax cuts for the top 1%? Please, please, please don't tell me that Trump cares about the debt!

The truth is that when Biden left office, we had the best post-pandemic economy of any modern industrialized nation. We were the leader of the free world, with two new countries added to NATO (which now exists in name only because Trump has destroyed all trust with our allies). We helped other countries and in so doing helped ourselves. Violent crime was down. Inflation was down. Unemployment was down. The stock market was up. The basic institutions of government functioned. We also had some serious problems....no doubt. But, the framework existed to solve those problems in a lawful and democratic fashion.

I was a Republican for 40 years. Raised in a 100% Republican family. I have plenty of issues with the Democrats and some of their policies. But, what is going on right now is beyond belief.

This is not only false, it’s bordering on an outright lie about Biden. The last president to leave office in peacetime with a surplus was bill clinton. Since then we have been racking up debt with every single presidency after that, including Biden and trumps first term. The pandemic had something to do with it but they were headed for a deficit during their term no matter what.

 

[stevet]

I literally can't understand how MAGA defenders square the circle on all the deficit concerns....

While being totally OK with tax cut extensions

"We are wet! It's way too wet in here!"
"But ...All of us getting pushed back into the running water in the shower is great!"

"We are way too wet" ... "Making us wetter is good!"

Like .. wut?

Unlike you who has just square the circle for everyone. 🤡

 

[raylo32]

At it's core all DEI means is don't be an orsehole and simply treat all people equally and fairly. Yes, it might get taken too far in some instances like those who want to allow trans women to compete in athletics with birth females. I will agree with you that is a step too far. But that is far from a legitimate reason to toss out all DEI or to kill our democracy. But that is the game MAGA plays... get people all spun up on hot button emotional issues that are really nothing but sideshows or cover for what they really are up to, which is to rob the treasury, cripple our institutions, and help Putin.

DEI for one example.

 

[Mainsail]

Comparing the use of tariffs in the 19th century to the use of tariffs in the 21st century is about the dumbest thing I can imagine....and I can imagine some pretty stupid stuff.

• 75% of the population lived on farms
• People rarely traveled outside of their county of birth
• Air travel did not exist
• Supply chains were primitive
• The first modern assembly lines were not in production
• Zero information systems
• Very basic communications....largely telegraph.
• Transportation overseas took weeks or months

In other words, countries exist much more in isolation. Good luck competing and growing an economy in the modern world without global trade. I'll give you a great example of isolationism with authoritarian leadership....North Korea....look how their people have prospered in the modern world!

 

[Expos of 1969]

What you describe does not exist. Best wishes and I hope you can find happiness.

You are well advised to take your blinders off. Denial is not a pleasant companion in your life.

 

[darngooddesign]

Going to be the best thing we've done in decades.

Yep, it will take decades for us to recover.

 

[Dutch60]

I do.

I know

It’s a terrible policy.

I know that’s your opinion

There already are an arsenal of federal and state laws dealing with discriminatory practices. Trans men playing in women’s teams or being allowed in women’s bathrooms is terrible and unfair.

Like I said…maybe gone too far. Like I said…that’s the implementation of DEI. Basic principle of DEI is: treating all citizens fair and equal (which wasn’t, and still isn’t the case).
Do you oppose that principle? If not, then there’s work to be done…and another route to achieving that goal has to be found.

 

[Dutch60]

Trump is way smarter than John Oliver. lol

“Trump”and “smart” are mutually exclusive.

 

[turbineseaplane]

Like I said…maybe gone too far. Like I said…that’s the implementation of DEI. Basic principle of DEI is: treating all citizens fair and equal (which wasn’t, and still isn’t the case).

Do you oppose that principle? If not, then there’s work to be done…and another route to achieving that goal has to be found.

I have many friends who think, and say out loud, they are all for equality ... but then they would actually fall right into this trap.

I've heard them do it... most of them even have daughters and are "fierce defenders of women"

The reality is that a lot of them are fierce defenders of women within the context of patriarchy

It's sort of the quiet part not being talked about amongst many folks.
Lots of support for equity, inclusion and diversity, so long as it's all on a tier below "white men in control".

Almost right on queue I saw this...

 

[ZiBart]

This is not only false, it’s bordering on an outright lie about Biden. The last president to leave office in peacetime with a surplus was bill clinton. Since then we have been racking up debt with every single presidency after that, including Biden and trumps first term. The pandemic had something to do with it but they were headed for a deficit during their term no matter what.

Bill Clinton leaving in peacetime? How about the Kosovo War? NATO was still bombing Yugoslavia up until the year he left. That was his "war" legacy. Camp David Summit fell apart under his mediation in 2000- which has something to do with the conflict after and the madness there today. Then Chechnya, India, Pakistan, Congo - lesser known conflicts with less US involvement albeit.

Fiscally he was effective and his surplus moves continued into Bush 2.0 first couple years as well. But one could argue he didn't deal with the rise of OBL properly even though the 1st attack on WTC occurred in the 2nd month of his presidency. Which led to 9/11 and that would lead to the ensuing 25 years of unchecked Pentagon/FBI/CIA spending, expansion and wars which is the main culprit in current budget deficit. Plus, he was responsible for much of the financial and economic deregulation that were the main culprit in the financial crisis years after. Add a pandemic, along the way, with housing bubbles bursting, Bank/Auto bailouts aplenty and you have today. All while the rich and corporations continued to pay less taxes through legislation or loop holes, so that extra spending never got paid back.

 

[pmbooks]

When U.S. President Donald Trump levied 145 percent tariffs on goods imported from China, Apple CEO Tim Cook started working to score Apple an exemption that would keep iPhone costs down.

According to The Washington Post, Cook had a phone call with Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick last week, explaining how the tariffs would cause iPhone prices to increase. He talked to senior White House officials about the tariffs, and made sure not to say anything negative in public about Trump's policies that would anger Trump. For Trump's inauguration, Cook also personally donated $1 million.

Cook's efforts paid off, and last weekend, the Trump administration exempted the iPhone, Mac, Apple Watch, iPad, and other electronics from the bulk of tariffs put in place on Chinese goods.

Apple's tariff exemption could be temporary, however, as the day after the announcement, Trump said that there was "no tariff exception" and that no one would be "getting off the hook." Apple and other tech companies will be "moving to a different tariff bucket" as Trump and his administration will be "taking a look" at semiconductors and the electronics supply chain in planned National Security Tariff Investigations.

With the on-again, off-again tariffs, Apple stock has fluctuated quite a bit over the course of the last few weeks. Stock was down as much as 20 percent, but it recovered some of its value after the exemption.

During the first Trump administration, Cook was able to prevent tariffs from impacting Apple devices like the iPhone and the Apple Watch by convincing Trump that the fees would give South Korean company Samsung an edge over Apple.

This time around, Trump has claimed he won't be pressured by companies into lowering tariffs. On Monday, though, he said that he "helped Tim Cook recently," a sign that Cook has an in with Trump that could keep Apple from being hit hard by future tariffs.

Trump insists that Apple could manufacture the iPhone and other products in the United States, but there are significant barriers that would prevent Apple from doing so, including the cost of building factories, a lack of skilled laborers, and the cost of paying U.S. workers.

Apple has pledged a $500 billion investment in the United States, and it plans to manufacture Private Cloud Compute servers at a facility in Houston in partnership with Foxconn. Servers are a much lower volume product that isn't consumer facing, which makes them more feasible to assemble in the U.S.

Note: Due to the political or social nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Political News forum. All forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts.

Article Link: How Apple CEO Tim Cook Convinced Trump to Exempt Apple From Tariffs

Hurrah Cook and hurrah Trump. (flame away, haters)

 

[ebika]

There already are an arsenal of federal and state laws dealing with discriminatory practices. Trans men playing in women’s teams or being allowed in women’s bathrooms is terrible and unfair.

This over indexing on trans is baffling to me. The data I can find on this shows a 1-2% rate that hasn't fluctuated of the clinically diagnosed and treated cases (one reference that refers to it as "identifying", but the others I've seen corroborate it, and I'd infer from that the clinically diagnosed cases are even lower than 2%). I see these pearl-clutching panic statements from you and others, and from the current administration that seem out of touch with actual incidents of issues. It's a serious, complicated, difficult, and rare medical issue that has ballooned into this bizarre fear mongering, to the point that the current administration has an EO trying to deny it exists and causing direct harm to a small subset of Americans. Can't we continue treating these case-by-case/sport-by-sport? There were policies in place, like FINA's requirement for nothing beyond Tanner Stage 2. You realize the current administration is trying to force trans men (often big, burly, bearded men) into women's bathrooms? That just seems poorly reasoned, needlessly cruel, and over-reacted.

Don't get me wrong, I can't understand the extreme gender activism on the other side either. As a centrist independent, I think we can differentiate and contextualize things. That includes the vulnerable kids that are desperate for acceptance anywhere they can find it that might see that in the trans stuff and aren't really trans. I have compassion for them. I think it requires thoughtful medical care to support, or rule out, what's really going on. Biology is messy, and we have a whole medical profession to focus on that. I say stick with the established science and protocols and leave the politics and manipulation at the door.

 

[turbineseaplane]

This over indexing on trans is baffling to me. The data I can find on this shows a 1-2% rate that hasn't fluctuated of the clinically diagnosed and treated cases (one reference that refers to it as "identifying", but the others I've seen corroborate it, and I'd infer from that the clinically diagnosed cases are even lower than 2%). I see these pearl-clutching panic statements from you and others, and from the current administration that seem out of touch with actual incidents of issues.

I finally got my hyper MAGA brother to admit "this isn't really that big of an issue"..

He's moved on to trashing Zelensky for "starting the war with Russia"

 

[Dutch60]

This over indexing on trans is baffling to me. The data I can find on this shows a 1-2% rate that hasn't fluctuated of the clinically diagnosed and treated cases (one reference that refers to it as "identifying", but the others I've seen corroborate it, and I'd infer from that the clinically diagnosed cases are even lower than 2%). I see these pearl-clutching panic statements from you and others, and from the current administration that seem out of touch with actual incidents of issues. It's a serious, complicated, difficult, and rare medical issue that has ballooned into this bizarre fear mongering, to the point that the current administration has an EO trying to deny it exists and causing direct harm to a small subset of Americans. Can't we continue treating these case-by-case/sport-by-sport? There were policies in place, like FINA's requirement for nothing beyond Tanner Stage 2. You realize the current administration is trying to force trans men (often big, burly, bearded men) into women's bathrooms? That just seems poorly reasoned, needlessly cruel, and over-reacted.

Don't get me wrong, I can't understand the extreme gender activism on the other side either. As a centrist independent, I think we can differentiate and contextualize things. That includes the vulnerable kids that are desperate for acceptance anywhere they can find it that might see that in the trans stuff and aren't really trans. I have compassion for them. I think it requires thoughtful medical care to support, or rule out, what's really going on. Biology is messy, and we have a whole medical profession to focus on that. I say stick with the established science and protocols and leave the politics and manipulation at the door.

Well said!