At a high-profile White House event, President Trump recently welcomed Apple CEO Tim Cook to the Oval Office with glowing praise, calling him “one of the great and most esteemed business leaders and geniuses and innovators anywhere in the world.”
The event included Apple’s announcement of an unprecedented $600 billion investment in the U.S. over four years, focused on boosting domestic manufacturing.
Invest in Gold
But the real showstopper was a unique gift that Cook presented to Trump — a glass plaque with an inscription that says “Made in USA” which was designed by a former U.S. Marine Corps corporal, who’s now employed by Apple.
The plaque came with a 24-karat gold base sourced from Utah. Its craftsmanship and patriotic materials were designed to highlight Apple’s commitment to making its products on American soil.
This gift comes shortly after Trump announced that tech companies producing their products in the U.S. could avoid the new 100% tariff on imported chips and semiconductors, while others would likely face steep import costs. However, Trump announced that smartphones are exempt from increased tariffs on products from India.
Apple’s domestic investment and symbolic offering appear to have earned the company this favorable treatment. Financial expert John Ehrlichman noted that Cook used the plaque as a diplomatic olive branch, helping Apple sidestep punitive tariffs.
“There’s arguably no bigger CEO in America, or in the world, than Tim Cook,” Ehrlichman shared with CTV News. “He’s in the Oval Office and he’s trying to appease the president. The president loves that and uses that as the backdrop to say, ‘by the way, if you’re not following the Apple way, you could be subject to these tariffs.’”
And while the gift of gold may have been a simple olive branch, it's also a serious asset with a market valued at nearly $300 billion. With prices currently hovering around $3,400 per ounce, the value of gold has been soaring as of late, a result that's largely driven by inflation concerns, geopolitical instability and the potential for a U.S. Federal Reserve cut.
