Apple CEO Tim Cook, left, has emerged as one of Apple’s most effective lobbyists, speaking directly to Trump and his close advisers about issues like taxes and tariffs | Jeff Chiu/AP Photo Trade Apple to manufacture Mac Pro in Texas after tariff win

Apple will continue to manufacture its Mac Pro computer in Austin, Texas, the company announced today, just days after the Trump administration granted the company tariff exemptions for Mac Pro components made in China.

The U.S. Trade Representative last week granted 10 of the 15 exemptions that Apple requested, Bloomberg reported. Apple CEO Tim Cook today credited the Trump administration for the company’s decision to keep assembling the Mac Pro in Texas.


“We thank the administration for their support enabling this opportunity,” Cook said in a statement.

In June, media reports indicated Apple was weighing whether to move manufacturing of the Mac Pro to China. A month later, Trump slammed Apple on Twitter for building products outside the U.S. and said the company would not receive relief from tariffs. He later walked back those comments.

Apple described the decision to keep Mac Pro production in Austin as part of its “commitment to US economic growth.” The company said the Mac Pro includes parts from more than a dozen U.S. companies as well as those from global suppliers.

Cook has emerged as one of Apple’s most effective lobbyists, speaking directly to Trump and his close advisers about issues like taxes and tariffs. Cook dined privately with the president in August, the second summer in a row he has done so.

Apple previously disclosed plans to spend $350 billion in the U.S. by 2023, a figure that includes new and existing investments. The company also announced in December 2018 it would expand its Austin campus.

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