Trump wanted a US-made iPhone. Apple gave him a gold statue.
Trump’s chip tariffs won’t hit Apple despite no plans for a US-made iPhone.
I’m sick of powerful people / companies kissing his ass, but I can’t deny that this is a smart move for getting out from under his disgusting gaze.
Lol! Trump wants a thing. They don't want to do it. So, they toss him something shiny to make him forget the thing he wanted?
Yeah.
It fucken worked, didn't it?
It works because the thing he really wants is validation, and they gave it to him. Now he'll continue, and come back around their way again soon, I'm sure.
They really know their audience.
Hey, uh, what the fuck? Why the fuck are companies giving the President of the United States Golden statues like he's some sort of Middle Eastern Dictator?
Because he's some sort of middle eastern dictator. Figurehead of a religion of intolerance and hatred, concerned almost entirely with wealth derived from fossil fuels, utterly irredeemable personality.
Considering this guy got re-elected, there may be some overlap with American qualities here.
To ask for "favors" later. Clearly money sways him, he's imposing tariffs on Brazil because "they've never been good to us", meaning "they don't give USA enough money". It's all about money and how he can get it into him and his pedo friends pockets.
Look at the plane he got, supposedly he's taking it with him after office? I wish he'd just spontaneously explode during a meeting with his pedo buddies, taking them out too. Or on the plane and take them all out over the Pacific.
Because they know that that is really what he is. Everyone has him figured out now. That is why NATO and EU brownnoses him in front of journalists, or why Qatar "gifts" him an airplane.
I think Zelensky has figured it out too, and got on good terms with him.
It’s really comical. It’s like the easiest diplomacy ever, within limits and until your enemy brownnoses too.
Frankly, it’s a shrewd strategy with regards to orangeboi. He’s easily distracted by shiny things and gifts, so give him a shiny gift. He has the attention span of a toddler, and he’s fairly easy to manipulate, if you operate within that context.
Honestly, I can't say I blame them, if it works.
I can blame them. It sets a very dangerous precedent and tacitly legitimises the maga party's bad behaviour.
Because he's pretty much that. Idk about the middle eastern part. (Why did you even include that phrase, are you racist? There are dictators in Europe, South America, North America, all parts of Asia, idk how Australia is nowadays.)
But he's definitely a dictator.
Rage bait much?
Tim Cook is a piece of shit.
any relation to Tim Apple?
Has anyone seen Tim Cook and Bono in the same room?
Well, idk. But Apple gave away U2 albums or whatever, dindey?
Plus, last I heard, Bono was dethroned as the record holder by some guy in a small city in, like, Colorado or something
Apple speaks Trump fluently.
Absolutely pathetic Tim. Pathetic.
On the face of it, this falls foul of numerous anti-bribery laws and regulations of the sort employees of companies such as Apple are required to do tests on annually. (If you ever so much as worked as a mail clerk at a large company, you will have clicked through multiple-choice tests driving home that, should you somehow find yourself in a position of trading a bottle of champagne or some Superbowl tickets for a multi-million-dollar contract in some exotic foreign land, that sort of thing is absolutely not on, and will cost you your job if not federal prison time.)
On the other hand, those rules were drafted back when America saw itself as qualitatively above the sordid corruption that less fortunate nations were mired in. Those days are as far gone as the drag clubs of Weimar Berlin.
The rules only apply to low paid employees. You bet your ass a regular federal employee could still be fired for receiving a free lunch.
That's one of the nicer participation trophies I've seen
when i thought Apple couldn't get less cool... they thought differently and proved me wrong
Just for this everyone should reconsider buying any Apple products. Tim Apple is such a disgusting and nasty person, and then he started licking the predators ass. Fuck him and fuck American companies.
This would be a great idea if literally any other tech company were even slightly above such behavior. This is just what Capitalism is all about, baby. Corruption. Get used to it, because this isn't changing until Americans revolt (culturally, violently, politically, economically? who knows) and that likely isn't happening with this complacent and socially isolated of a populace
A few nice words and a $15 shiny object is all you need to curry favour with the current President.
Can someone ask him for free college education and healthcare in America, presenting him a golden stethoscope or golden book-shaped award?
Honestly if the US actually had a left wing party that challenged the status quo, I'm sure he's vapid enough that he might have tried to get his cult of personality going there.
I don't think it would have gone well for him because he's actually just a straight up shitty person, but I feel like for an obvious narcissist like him the party lines are just window dressing.
100%.
Trump has had some Republican inclinations, but he could have absolutely been a leftist demagogue. Or any affiliation really.
Look how he tore through other Republicans like toilet paper.
Tim Apple knows how to play the game and win
He sure knows how to suck dicks. That's not a win for democracy though.
Democracy doesn't get any wins anymore. That part of the voyage is over.
It's the other way around. Apple gave Trump a golden statue so he can kill off all their competitors. They no longer have to compete with their branding or products. It's not smart, it's just lazy, greedy and against any shred of decency. It's not even capitalism, it's plain corruption and proudly doing it in the open.
This is capitalism. In that system the money is the important part and so how you get it mostly doesn’t matter. Corruption is part of it, and they use the money to make sure the laws that would punish them don’t exist.
For the class in the back cronyism is capitalism.
Keep buying your Apple products, guys.
Was the statue at least US made?
No. Was cheaper do do it overseas.
Allegedly the gold came from Utah, and the glass from somewhere else in the US.
yea, sure, just like everything else... tell me though, is this US that "makes" things in here with us right now?
suck-up
Since when did the word “statue” now also mean “trophy” and/or “award”?
I'm also confused like you. Looking at the pictures in the article and the others at The Verge it appears to be a trophy or award like you get for employee of the year not a "statue".
Commemorative disk?
Bought my wife an Apple device a few years ago, now that m sickened that I helped pay for a small piece of this.
I personally vote for CEOs publicly embarrassing themselves in more and more degrading ways.
Tim Apple should try to 'Think Different'