The Trump whisperer

From the Washington Post: Trump’s tariffs won’t bite Apple, illustrating Tim Cook’s political sway.

Apple chief executive Tim Cook has been one of President Trump’s staunchest critics in Silicon Valley, opposing the White House on immigration, climate change and more.

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But the 57-year-old tech leader has also become one of the technology industry’s savviest political operators — a behind-the-scenes Trump whisperer, able to shape some of the administration’s economic policies in ways that benefit Apple and some of its tech peers…

The Trump administration has acknowledged Cook’s effect on its thinking. “We’ve spoken to Mr. Tim Cook many times,” said Larry Kudlow, the White House economic adviser, during an appearance a day earlier in New York. “He’s given us some good advice.”

My take: Not much new here, but it’s interesting to see Cook’s role through the eyes of Washington D.C.’s hometown paper. The piece includes a useful list of recent Cook-Trump face-to-faces, two of which were new to me:

• A rare invite to the White House state dinner to honor the visiting French president in April
• A private huddle with Trump in the White House the next day
• A dinner with Trump at his Bedminster, N.J., golf course in early August