Apple needs to remain on the good side of President Trump as it faces a concerted onslaught from the EU, one that has already significantly dented its revenue from services. And, what better way for Tim Cook to curry favor with President Trump than to attend the VIP screening of Melania Trump's movie?
Tim Cook tries to remain on the good side of President Trump as Apple needs the administration's support for countering EU-geared headwinds
As for the raison d'être behind this somewhat aberrant move, look no further than Cook's need to remain on the good side of a particularly finicky administration, as well as Apple's growing EU-related travails.
As an illustration, consider the fact that Jefferies has just cited data from Sensor Tower to conclude that Apple's App Store revenue grew by just 7 percent in the recently concluded December-ending quarter, constituting the slowest pace of growth in the last 7 quarters (nearly 2 years).
For the benefit of those who might not be aware, Apple allowed third-party app stores to operate within its ecosystem after the EU's Digital Markets Act (DMA) took effect in 2024. At the time, Apple charged such app stores EUR 0.5 for each app install exceeding 1 million cumulative installs, among other conditions.
Even so, the EC was not satisfied with Apple's compliance with the DMA, especially in relation to the Cupertino giant's anti-steering rules, which restricted app developers from informing users about cheaper purchase options outside the Apple App Store. Accordingly, the EC levied a EUR 500 million fine on Apple in April 2025.
In response, Apple changed its revenue sharing formula for app developers in June 2025. However, as per the tech giant's recent contention, the European Commission (EC) has apparently refused to let Apple implement "the changes that they requested."
In the Cupertino giant's view, the EC is employing "political delay tactics" to "unfairly target an American company with burdensome investigations and onerous fines."
Against this backdrop, it is hardly a surprise that Tim Cook would abhor rocking the proverbial boat and endeavor to curry the administration's favor and protection. After all, the same approach was apparently sufficient to allow Apple to gain a huge tariff-related reprieve a few months back.
About the author: Writing is my one incontrovertible passion. Over the past six years, he has authored over 2,200 distinct articles on financial and tech-related topics, spanning nearly 1 million words. And he has been a member of Wcctech mobile team since 2025. As an alumnus of the University of Toronto, Rotman Commerce Program, I bring nuance, in-depth knowledge, and a unique perspective to every topic that I cover. When I'm not writing, I'm traveling the world, exploring hidden confectionaries and restaurants as an aspiring food connoisseur.
Follow Wccftech on Google to get more of our news coverage in your feeds.
