Trump implausibly claims his 'Tim Apple' flub was a time-saving measure


When President Trump called Apple CEO Tim Cook "Tim Apple," everyone laughed for a good five seconds and moved on. Trump, on the other hand, just can't let it go.
Trump bungled Cook's name last Wednesday, prompting the tech CEO to adopt the moniker on Twitter. Yet two whole days later, Trump reportedly insisted to Republican donors at Mar-a-Lago that the "fake news" had gotten it all wrong. Trump insisted he actually said "Tim Cook Apple" quickly, but just said the "Cook" part too quietly for anyone to hear, Axios reports.
People at the event reportedly didn't "understand" why Trump countered something that was literally on video, with one donor telling Axios: "It doesn't even matter!" Trump begged to differ, then insisted in a Monday morning tweet that he cut out Cook's last name for efficiency's sake.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Trump neglected to explain the inconsistencies between his excuses, or why he's so fixated on a simple slip-up.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Kathryn is a graduate of Syracuse University, with degrees in magazine journalism and information technology, along with hours to earn another degree after working at SU's independent paper The Daily Orange. She's currently recovering from a horse addiction while living in New York City, and likes to share her extremely dry sense of humor on Twitter.
-
White House tackles fake citations in MAHA report
speed read A federal government public health report spearheaded by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was rife with false citations
-
Judge blocks push to bar Harvard foreign students
speed read Judge Allison Burroughs sided with Harvard against the Trump administration's attempt to block the admittance of international students
-
Trump's trade war whipsawed by court rulings
Speed Read A series of court rulings over Trump's tariffs renders the future of US trade policy uncertain
-
Elon Musk departs Trump administration
speed read The former DOGE head says he is ending his government work to spend more time on his companies
-
Trump taps ex-personal lawyer for appeals court
speed read The president has nominated Emil Bove, his former criminal defense lawyer, to be a federal judge
-
US trade court nullifies Trump's biggest tariffs
speed read The US Court of International Trade says Trump exceeded his authority in imposing global tariffs
-
Trump pauses all new foreign student visas
speed read The State Department has stopped scheduling interviews with those seeking student visas in preparation for scrutiny of applicants' social media
-
Trump pardons Virginia sheriff convicted of bribery
speed read Former sheriff Scott Jenkins was sentenced to 10 years in prison on federal bribery and fraud charges