President Donald Trump on Tuesday praised Tim Cook as an “incredible guy” following Apple’s announcement that he would soon step down as CEO, while also boasting about the time the chief executive had to “kiss my ass” to get Trump’s help on an unspecified “fairly large problem.”

“For me it began with a phone call from Tim at the beginning of my First Term,” Trump recalled in a lengthy post on his Truth Social platform. “He had a fairly large problem that only I, as President, could fix.”

“When I got the call I said, wow, it’s Tim Apple (Cook!) calling, how big is that? I was very impressed with myself to have the head of Apple calling to ‘kiss my ass,’” Trump added. “He explained his problem, a tough one it was, I felt he was right and got it taken care of, quickly and effectively. That was the beginning of a long and very nice relationship.”

Apple CEO Tim Cook speaks, as President Donald Trump looks on, in the Oval Office in August 2025. Trump on Tuesday praised Cook as an "incredible guy" following Apple's announcement that he would soon step down as chief executive.

AP Photo/Alex Brandon

Trump said that, as the two of them kept in touch over the years and worked together occasionally, he realized Cook is “an amazing manager and leader.”

“He makes these calls to me, I help him out (but not always, because he will, on occasion, be too aggressive in his ask!), and he gets the job done, QUICKLY,” Trump said.

While Cook will cede the CEO role to John Ternus, who’s currently senior vice president of hardware engineering, in September, he will remain at the company as the executive chairman of its board of directors.

In his new role, Cook “will assist with certain aspects of the company, including engaging with policymakers around the world,” according to Apple, suggesting he could continue interacting with Trump on behalf of the tech giant.

Trump went on to commend Cook’s “AMAZING career.”

“Quite simply, Tim Cook is an incredible guy!!!” he added.

President Donald Trump boasted that Apple CEO Tim Cook had to "kiss my ass" to get him to fix an unspecified problem.

@realDonaldTrump via Truth Social

Cook has faced criticism over his relationship with the Trump administration.

Cook personally donated $1 million to Trump’s inaugural committee and also attended the event. Apple is also one of the donors for the president’s White House ballroom.

Tim Cook, chief executive officer of Apple Inc., during the 60th presidential inauguration in the rotunda of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 20, 2025. Cook personally donated $1 million to Donald Trump's inaugural committee.

Shawn Thew/EPA/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Most recently, Cook went to the White House screening of Melania Trump’s documentary on the same day that federal agents killed Alex Pretti in Minneapolis.

“What I do is I interact on policy, not politics,” Cook told ABC’s “Good Morning America” about the scrutiny he’s faced. “I’m not a political person on either side. I’m not political, and so I’m kind of straight down the middle.”

Despite Trump’s effusive praise, Cook has also been in the president’s crosshairs, including about iPhone production in India, as Apple sought to reduce its ties to China.