M.G. Siegler on his blog, Spyglass: $1M Knee Pads

Of course, the point here, in the real world, isn't actually the money – though I would just note that as President, Trump will have access to thousands of warheads... – but what the money signals. That is, fealty to the new President.

News broke over the weekend that Tim Cook had donated $1 million to Trump’s inauguration fund, and it’s sparked the outrage you’d expect on social media. Some see it as proof of Tim Cook endorsing every single Trump policy and belief while others see it as a heartless business maneuver aimed at shoring up good will with the next administration. I personally think it’s clearly the second option.

Personally, I see this as a tricky spot for Tim Cook and the other executives who are also doing this $1 million donation. No part of me thinks Tim Cook loves Trump and that he wants to publicly show his support for the incoming POTUS by donating this money. I could be wrong, but that’s the impression I get from him.

No, I think this is very directly Tim Cook looking out for Apple’s best interests by proving to Trump that he’s “one of the good guys.” The last decade has shown Trump to very clearly be someone who rules based on his personal feelings towards individuals, and loyalty to him is first and foremost what he values. And at a time when the incoming president says he’s going to impose massive tariffs on products imported from China, which would include basically all Apple products, can you blame Cook for wanting to get on Trump’s good side to sneak in some cheeky exceptions to those tariffs? Or maybe it’s to get Trump looking other directions when he wants to go after big tech like he’s indicated he wants to do.

To be clear, I think this is absurd, and I don’t think it’s remotely American to make fealty payments to the kin…president the best way for those people to advocate for their companies. And yes, I feel very similarly to campaign donations as well, especially post Citizens United in 2010.