It’s a lot to ask to expect praise from President Donald Trump on Twitter. But the president did manage to tweet out a very real “thank you” to Apple CEO Tim Cook on Friday.
Trump’s tweet wasn’t without fault, in some people’s eyes. By adding in that Apple was “agreeing” to expand operations in the U.S., the president made it look like he was taking some credit for the tech giant’s growth plans. Those plans include the construction of a new $1 billion campus in Austin, Texas, as well as increased presence in Seattle, San Diego, and Culver City, Calif., and other cities across the country, such as Pittsburgh, New York, Boulder, Colo., Boston and Portland.
The biggest chunk of jobs will be up to 15,000 in Austin.
Thank you to @tim_cook for agreeing to expand operations in the U.S. and thereby creating thousands of jobs! https://t.co/2zOVxp9nTF
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 14, 2018
But who knows? Maybe Trump’s threat of increased tariffs on Apple’s Chinese-manufactured iPhone had an effect. Reports a day before Cook’s announcement suggested that iPhone production could be moved out of China if tariffs got too high.
Apple prices may increase because of the massive Tariffs we may be imposing on China – but there is an easy solution where there would be ZERO tax, and indeed a tax incentive. Make your products in the United States instead of China. Start building new plants now. Exciting! #MAGA
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 8, 2018
Regardless of Apple’s U.S. jobs expansion motivation, we know that the president is fully aware of another tech company and CEO on the West Coast. And we know that he likes to call them out on Twitter.
A month ago, Amazon announced its long-awaited plan for a second headquarters, when it in fact said that it would create two so-called HQ2s in New York City and Northern Virginia. That plan will bring 25,000 jobs to each of those locations. On the same day, Amazon said it was also going to create 5,000 jobs in Nashville, Tenn., with a new logistics hub.
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With more than 45,000 employees in Seattle and more than 600,000 worldwide, it seems every week brings news of Jeff Bezos and company creating 1,000 jobs in this town or another 1,000 in that town, whether it’s a fulfillment center or an engineering outpost.
The president’s Twitter thumbs are silent on those occasions and he instead reserves his tweets directed at Bezos not for “thank yous” but for threats about regulation and taxes, or complaints about the coverage he gets in the Bezos-owned “lobbyist tool,” The Washington Post.
While Bezos is probably better off staying under the Trump Tweet radar, it sure can be fun when one is poking the other.
Finally trashed by @realDonaldTrump. Will still reserve him a seat on the Blue Origin rocket. #sendDonaldtospace https://t.co/9OypFoxZk3
— Jeff Bezos (@JeffBezos) December 7, 2015