WASHINGTON:
Apple chief Tim Cook went straight to the point: “It’s 24-karat gold… I’ll take the liberty of setting it up.”
“Wow,” said a clearly enthralled Donald Trump, as Cook assembled a unique gift for the US president — a custom-engraved glass piece made by iPhone glassmaker Corning, set in a gold base.
The scene — which unfolded Wednesday in the Oval Office — is just one of many over-the-top efforts made by world leaders and industry titans to get in Trump’s good graces.
The Republican billionaire president is known for loving all that glitters — as evidenced by the gilded revamp of his office — and also loves seeing his name in bold font.
Both of those things did not escape Cook, who is mindful of remaining friendly with a head of state known for condemning Apple for not making its iconic iPhones in the United States — and occasionally threatening to punish the company.
Beyond promising an additional $100 billion investment in the United States, Cook also offered Trump a gleaming gift made in the USA — a glass disk produced in Kentucky and designed by a former Marine Corps corporal now working at Apple.
On a more solemn note, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet just nominated Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize — an honor that the real estate mogul-reality television star-president believes he deserves for meditating various conflicts.
Hun Manet’s letter to the Norwegian Nobel Committee praised Trump’s “visionary and innovative diplomacy” as well as his “historic contributions in advancing world peace.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, keen to maintain Washington’s support for his government during the Gaza war, also nominated Trump, as did Pakistan. A Nobel announcement is expected in October.
