A lesson in blinging Trump, from Tim Cook
We all expected Trump’s second term as president to be theatrical and whimsical. But none of us expected American companies to be in competition with him. Enter Apple, whose pocket-sized cleaning cloths cost nearly ₹2K, and real products set you back by half your net worth. The posh iPhone maker subtly reminded us that very little is made in America – except Trump’s tantrums.
In a move that was definitely the trigger for the recent US back and forth on the tariff on gold bars, Apple presented the US prez with a slab of Gorilla Glass on a gold stand, etched with his name and Tim Cook’s signature. The highlight? The glass was made in America. So was the gold rump holding it.
Not a single cheesy part of this artistic masterpiece, to celebrate American manufacturing, was from China, India, or any other country on Trump’s vengeance list.
This minimalist memorabilia, dazzling to no one except Apple, was peak Apple. It was true to their product philosophy – refinements so marginal that unless your eyes watered from reading the fine print, you would miss that you upgraded to a pricier iPhone, for a change of colour and one millimetre more of display. I know this from constantly comparing models to keep my FOMO in check.
I was so excited by the choice of ‘Gorilla’ glass that I went over the Apple press release, hoping they would have subtly hinted that the gift was a touching nod to the big boy in the room. But alas, Apple does subtle only for its products. Their press release was plain as day. They announced an extra $100bn in US investments, and said they would “directly hire 20,000 people in US – the vast majority focused on R&D, silicon engineering, software development, and AI and machine learning”. They will nudge their vendors to hasten US manufacturing, but nope the iPhone will still not be made in US.
The good news for Apple – and for everyone else – is that nobody reads the fine print. So, for heaven’s sake India, give Trump a golden chappal (our internationally renowned Kolhapuri will do) stamped MAGA, and negotiate zero tariffs. Nothing says charm offensive like a bit of flattery dressed as a lot of business intent.
Disclaimer
Views expressed above are the author’s own.
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