Bernie Sanders roasts Tim Cook for giving Trump 24-karat gold: 'Unlike Qatar...'

Senator Bernie Sanders took a jibe at President Donald Trump and Apple CEO Tim Cook and said if one can't be rich enough as Qatar to be able to give Trump a $400 million plane, one can be like Tim Cook. "Want a tax break or special favor from the government? No problem. If, unlike Qatar, you can’t afford to give Trump a $400 million plane, just walk into the White House with a modest gold statue like Apple CEO Tim Cook. That works, too. Kleptocracy in action," the Vermont senator wrote.

Tim Cook presented a unique piece of glass engraved for President Trump with a 24-karat gold base. Tim Cook said it was designed by an Apple employee who had worked in US Marine Corps earlier. "This box was made in California, and this glass comes off the line. It's engraved for President Trump. It's a unique unit of one. It was designed by a US Marine Corps corporal, a former one who works at Apple now. Designed it for you. And the base comes from Utah and is 24-karat gold," Tim Cook said before announcing an investment of $600 billion over four years.

Want a tax break or special favor from the government? No problem.

If, unlike Qatar, you can’t afford to give Trump a $400 million plane, just walk into the White House with a modest gold statue like Apple CEO Tim Cook. That works, too.

Kleptocracy in action.

— Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) August 8, 2025

Apple got a major tariff exemption, though Trump announced a 100% tariff on imported semiconductors and chips. Companies like Apple, which commit to US manufacturing or investment, are exempt from it, Trump said, adding that firms building or committing to build in the US would face no tariffs on their final products, even if assembled abroad.

So let me get this straight, Bernie…

You’ve been in government for 50 years…
Never built a business… never made payroll…
Yet somehow you’ve got three homes, a book deal, and millions in the bank?

Meanwhile, you’re mad that Tim Cook, who helped build Apple into a…

— A Gene Robinson (@AlBuffalo2nite) August 8, 2025

Social media users soon rubbished the gift as a bribe for the tax exemption. "So let me get this straight: One of the richest CEOs on Earth walks into the White House, on live TV, hands the President a literal bar of gold like it’s some Renaissance bribe, and walks out with a tariff exemption worth billions," one wrote.

Bernie Sanders was also trolled for his hot take on Tim Cook. Social media users reminded him that he never built a buisness but has three homes, a book deal and millions in the bank.