Apple fans chided CEO Tim Cook on X for congratulating President-elect Donald Trump on his election win.
"Congratulations President Trump on your victory!" Cook posted on X Wednesday. "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."
Comments from Cook's X post included a barrage of reactions — some positive, some negative. A number of the comments included mention of tariffs, a term Trump has keyed in on as part of his economic strategy to promote manufacturing in the United States.
"We will reclaim our nation's destiny as the number one manufacturing superpower in the world," Trump said in August, according to the Daily Mail.
In 2019, Trump and Cook met to discuss imports and tariffs on China. The outcome of the meeting ultimately led to Apple investing in the U.S. manufacturing of its Mac Pro, pulling it away from China.
Cook's post on X drew a flurry of speculation, with many suggesting that the Apple CEO might be cozying up to Trump in an effort to dodge tariffs that could threaten the company's bottom line.
Trump has floated a tariff hike — 10 %to 20% on all imports, with even steeper surcharges for goods from China — which is a strategy he says, along with the cutting of the income tax, would bolster the U.S. economy.