In an interview with Good Morning America's Michael Strahan this week, Apple's CEO Tim Cook said he is "not a political person."
Strahan said Cook has been criticized over his relationship with U.S. President Donald Trump. He noted that Cook attended Trump's second inauguration last year, gifted Trump a piece of glass with a 24-karat gold base, and went to a private screening of a Melania Trump documentary at the White House earlier this year. Cook reportedly also personally donated $1 million to Trump's second inauguration fund.
Cook responded with a diplomatic answer.
"I interact on policy, not politics," said Cook.
"I'm not a political person on either side," he added. "I'm not political. And so I'm kind of straight down the middle and I focus on policy. And so, I'm very pleased that the President and the administration is accessible to talk about policy."
However, not everyone thinks politics and policy can be separated. For example, Apple commentator John Gruber said Cook's response "makes sense only if you believe government policy decisions aren't political — which is to say it makes no sense."
Others have argued that Cook is fulfilling his fiduciary responsibility by ensuring that Apple is in good standing with the U.S. government.
The topic continues to provoke strong opinions.
As a whole, Apple's corporate values are generally considered to be progressive, particularly with respect to social and environmental matters.
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