Top tech executives have contacted former President Donald Trump, possibly anticipating a second term, as his chances of winning the election strengthen, The Hill reported.
CEOs from Apple, Google, and Amazon have contacted Trump in recent weeks, signaling strategic recalibration as Trump's odds of reclaiming the presidency improve.
Google CEO Sundar Pichai was among those who made contact, phoning Trump after a recent campaign event at which Trump worked a shift at a McDonald's drive-thru.
At a rally in Pennsylvania, Trump shared details of the call, describing Pichai as "a great guy, very smart." Trump added that Pichai had expressed enthusiasm about Trump's recent McDonald's appearance.
Apple CEO Tim Cook also contacted Trump this month amid concerns about the European Union's recent ruling requiring Apple to pay nearly $15 billion in back taxes.
During an appearance on the Patrick Bet-David podcast, Trump praised Cook, calling him "amazing" and suggesting Apple would not be as successful without his leadership. Trump's favorable comments marked a shift in tone, given his previous criticisms of Big Tech leaders during his first term.
Amazon CEO Andy Jassy also reportedly contacted Trump, while representatives from Blue Origin, Jeff Bezos's aerospace company, met with Trump last week. That same day, Bezos's Washington Post declared it would not endorse any presidential candidate in the 2024 election, reversing its longstanding editorial policy.
In an op-ed, Bezos downplayed the event, saying that he was unaware of the Blue Origin meeting and emphasized that there was no connection between the decision and the meeting.
The outreach from tech giants comes as polls show that Trump is slightly favored to win against Vice President Kamala Harris. The Hill-Decision Desk HQ forecast recently shifted, showing Trump's odds topping 50% for the first time since Harris entered the race. According to polling data, Trump trails Harris by just 0.5%.
Political analysts view the tech industry's outreach as pragmatic. Owen Tedford, a senior research analyst at Beacon Policy Advisors, suggested that tech companies might seek to position themselves advantageously should Trump return to office.
Tedford also speculated that these firms might hope for relaxed antitrust scrutiny under a potential second Trump administration, noting that President Joe Biden's Department of Justice and Federal Trade Commission have aggressively pursued antitrust cases against Amazon, Apple, and Google.
Tech's apparent alignment with Trump contrasts with earlier contentious relations.
During his first term, Trump publicly criticized Bezos and clashed with Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg.