Apple CEO Scrambles to Save Face After Partying With Melania
The tech billionaire has responded to the backlash after attending a black-tie event at the White House.
Apple CEO Tim Cook has sent his staff a personal memo following a backlash after he attended a VIP party with Donald and Melania Trump at the White House.
Cook, 65, went to a private premiere of the Melania documentary on Saturday night, just hours after the brutal death of ICU nurse Alex Pretti, who was shot dead by a federal agent in Minnesota.
The 79-year-old president said on Tuesday his administration was “going to deescalate a little bit” the situation in Minneapolis, where over 3,000 ICE and Border Patrol agents have been sent in a deliberately provocative anti-migrant surge.
Pretti, 37, was the second Minneapolis resident fatally shot by federal agents in the city this month after the killing of mother-of-three Renee Good, also 37, on Jan. 7.
Tim Cook was pictured at the black tie premiere with the film's director, Brett Ratner, who posted the snap on Instagram.
screen grab
Apple customers also vented about the CEO attending the private event for a $75 million vanity documentary funded by streaming rival Amazon, with some threatening to boycott Apple products or unsubscribe from their services.
“If you’re a CEO willing to sit in the company of this regime, your ‘shareholder value’ excuse feels pretty blood-soaked tonight,” conservative political strategist Rick Wilson posted on X after the news of Cook’s trip to a makeshift cinema at the White House.
Other CEOs who attended the Melania screening, which was also attended by the documentary’s disgraced director Brett Ratner, included Zoom’s Eric Yuan and AMD’s Lisa Su. The screening took place in a makeshift cinema, as Trump’s bulldozing of the East Wing to make way for his ballroom also flattened the historic White House Family Theater.
Get the best of The Beast delivered right to your inbox
By clicking “SUBSCRIBE” you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Cook’s staff memo also uses the same phrase about Minneapolis that Trump did, with the CEO also revealing he had a “good conversation” with the president this week.
“This is a time for deescalation,” Cook wrote. “I believe America is strongest when we live up to our highest ideals, when we treat everyone with dignity and respect no matter who they are or where they’re from, and when we embrace our shared humanity.”
Tim Cook's internal memo released to Apple staff.
screen grab
Cook revealed he had spoken with Trump earlier this week to share his views on the “events in Minneapolis.”
“I had a good conversation with the president this week where I shared my views, and I appreciate his openness to engaging on issues that matter to us all,” he wrote. “I know this is very emotional and challenging for so many. I am proud of how deeply our teams care about the world beyond our walls.”
Another Trump-friendly CEO also weighed in the immigration raids.
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, who had made multiple trips to meet Trump at the White House, wrote a Slack message to employees.
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman (L) attends a meeting of the White House Task Force on Artificial Intelligence Education in September.
Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
“What’s happening with ICE is going too far,” Altman said. “There is a big difference between deporting violent criminals and what’s happening now, and we need to get the distinction right.”
Altman said he loved the U.S. and the values of democracy. “But part of loving the country is the American duty to push back against overreach,” he added.
“President Trump is a very strong leader, and I hope he will rise to this moment and unite the country. I am encouraged by the last few hours of response and hope to see trust rebuilt with transparent investigations,” Altman said.
The Daily Beast has contacted reps for Apple and OpenAI for comment.
When asked for comment, the White House directed the Daily Beast to Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt’s Monday comments: “Nobody in the White House, including President Trump, wants to see people getting hurt or killed in America’s streets...Let’s be clear about the circumstances... This tragedy occurred as a result of a deliberate and hostile resistance by Democrat leaders in Minnesota.”
Apple CEO Tim Cook shaking hands with Donald Trump during a business meeting in Tokyo in October.
Andrew Harnik/Getty Images
Following Pretti’s death on Saturday, and in the wake of Good’s killing, over 450 employees from Google, Meta Platform and Open AI signed a letter urging their top executives to put pressure on the Trump administration to withdraw ICE agents from U.S. cities and to call out ICE-related violence.
See more of our coverage in your search results.
Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast here.
Unlock a year of full access to The Looker and The Daily Beast for $35.
Monthly
$1
First month then $5.99/month
Annual
$35
First year then $59.99/year
Premium
$79
First year then $119.99/year
*Substack access provided by the next business day, using your subscription email. Choosing the Premium plan constitutes your permission to share your subscription email with Substack and your agreement to Substack’s Privacy Policy.
Looks like you already have a subscription!
You're all set!
Thanks for subscribing.
Register below to read this article for free or subscribe
to unlock unlimited access to The Looker and The Daily Beast.
Monthly
$1
First month then $5.99/month
Annual
$35
First year then $59.99/year
Premium
$79
First year then $119.99/year
*Substack access provided by the next business day, using your subscription email. Choosing the Premium plan constitutes your permission to share your subscription email with Substack and your agreement to Substack’s Privacy Policy.
Already have an account? Sign In
Looks like you already have a subscription!
You're all set!
Thanks for subscribing.
Sign in
Login dialog
Sign in or create an account
Login dialog
Loading comments…