CNN
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Top managers from some of the country’s largest technology companies were looking for Donald Trump Ahead of Election Day, he is seeking an audience with the former president as the likelihood of him returning to the Oval Office is slim.
Trump and Apple CEO Tim Cook spoke last week about the iPhone maker’s ongoing legal troubles in Europe, the former president said in an interview on Thursday. Later that day, Trump told an audience in Las Vegas that the “head of Google,” CEO Sundar Pichai, called to admire the Republican candidate’s “Stop Throwing French Fries at the Pennsylvania McDonald’s” campaign.
“He said, ‘This is one of the hottest things. We have never seen anything like this,” Trump recalled. On Friday, he recounted the story on Joe Rogan’s podcast and named Pichai as the leader.
Amazon CEO Andy Jassy also recently reached out to the former president, two sources familiar with their call told CNN. AND Mark Zuckerberg called him this summer after the first failed assassination attempt on Trump, during which the Meta CEO told the Republican nominee he admired the way he handled the shooting and wished him a speedy recovery, a person familiar with the conversation said. Despite their once rocky relationship, they have since spoken glowingly of each other in the media.
The increased push by some of the world’s most powerful big tech leaders to speak with the former president ahead of Election Day comes amid an exceptionally tense battle between Trump and the vice president. Kamala Harris. And it’s the latest sign that the business community is seeking to renew ties with the former president ahead of a potential second term.
Trump has already done the math Elon Muskbillionaire, owner of X and Tesla, as a supporter and financial force pumping over 100 million dollars into the car to get elected. Musk at one point said he had no plans to donate to either presidential campaign after his March meeting with Trump at Mar-a-Lago. But lately the richest man in the world has been hanging out $1 million daily cash prizes For people who register to vote and sign a petition affirming their support for free speech and gun rights, the scheme, which the Justice Department has warned, may be illegal. Musk has poured at least $118 million into a super PAC supporting Trump’s bid for the White House. Other Silicon Valley executives also used their significant platforms and deep pockets to support the former president.
Apple, Google and Amazon, however, are outwardly far less involved in partisan politics than Musk and other Silicon Valley converts, but their every move could rock the stock market and instill confidence or fear in America’s economic prospects. In Trump’s orbit, the renewed interest in forging ties with him is a sign that many in the business world are coming to terms with the possibility that they will once again have to navigate the former president, or at least hedging their bets, people familiar with the matter say. talked conversations.
“Some people seem to be aware of the fact that they’re saying, ‘Damn, this guy could get elected again.’ I don’t want him and his administration to come after us,” a person close to Trump told CNN. “I think they hear what he says out loud and take it seriously.”
Amazon founder and largest shareholder Jeff Bezos spoke about Trump’s previously unreported conversation with Jassy. faces backlash is associated with another business he owns, The Washington Post. Newspaper recently decided not to support candidate for the presidential race for the first time since 1980sleading to a wave of canceled subscriptions and internal backlash.
A person familiar with the conversation with Yassi said it was instigated at the company’s request and called the conversation with Trump a “general greeting.” Amazon did not respond to a request for comment.
Trump also spoke Friday with executives from Bezos’ space exploration company Blue Origin after an event in Austin, Texas, the Associated Press reported.
Apple did not respond to an email from CNN asking about the nature of Cook’s conversation with Trump. A Google spokesperson said the company “has nothing to share on this matter.”
Trump clearly enjoyed his warming relations with the tech titans. He flaunted his private conversations with them in interviews and speeches. He now praises companies he once blamed for his 2020 election defeat, which ushered in years of Republican attacks on tech companies.
After the assassination attempt on Trump in July, Zuckerberg called Trump’s immediate reaction to the shooting “cool” during an interview with the podcast “The Circuit” at Meta headquarters in Menlo Park, California. Trump has made Mehta a regular target of his ire, accusing social media company Facebook of helping Democrats in 2020. Meta kicked Trump off the company’s platforms, including Facebook and Instagram, for a time.
But Trump now says Zuckerberg is “much better.”
“I really believe he won’t run, and that’s a good thing,” the former president said in an interview with Barstool Sports’ “Bussin’ With The Boys” podcast.
Whoever is sworn in next year will immediately face a decision about whether to continue President Joe Bidensuppression of big technology. Biden’s Justice Department has sued Apple under antitrust laws, accusing the company of manipulating smartphone markets and stifling innovation. He has also aggressively gone after Google, arguing that the company is the modern equivalent of the AT&T monopoly that the government broke up in a historic decision in the 1980s.
IN recent interview Before the Economic Club of Chicago, Trump refused to say whether he would follow through with Biden’s efforts to break up Google. However, he said he is “not a fan” of the company and “they treat me badly.” He previously said he would demand that Google be prosecuted “to the maximum level” if he wins re-election, and claimed without evidence that Google broke the law and only published “bad stories” about Trump and “good stories” about Harris.
However, Trump’s position on Google changed in an interview on Thursday.
“If you look at Google lately, I think you’ll see they’ve become much more pro-Trump,” the former president told conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt. “They’re starting to like Trump because they’re starting to get it.”
Hours later, Trump told a crowd in Las Vegas that he had spoken with a Google executive.
Google and Apple also face growing legal hurdles overseas, where the European Union has hit the companies with multibillion-dollar judgments for tax evasion. Apple’s tax bill is $14.4 billion, while Google’s debt is $2.6 billion. Europe’s highest court rules last month a decision was made that cannot be reversed.
Trump on Thursday said he had discussed the decision with Cook, with whom he is having discussions. contributed to the development of relations since his first term. He suggested Apple’s result would change if he wins in November.
“Let me tell you, all these companies will be freed if you have the right president,” Trump said. “All of these companies will be in good shape. Don’t worry about it.
CNN’s Claire Duffy and Kate Sullivan contributed to this report.