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Apple CEO Tim Cook Faces Backlash for Attending White House Screening of Melania Trump Documentary
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Apple CEO Tim Cook attended a private screening of the documentary *Melania* at the White House on Saturday, January 24, 2026, alongside other prominent tech executives. The event, held in a makeshift theater in the East Room after President Donald Trump converted the East Wing into a ballroom, featured about 70 guests including Amazon CEO Andy Jassy, Zoom CEO Eric Yuan, AMD CEO Lisa Su, and Amazon Chairman Jeff Bezos. Guests received framed tickets, copies of Melania Trump's memoir, and commemorative popcorn boxes served by gloved waiters.
The documentary, produced by Amazon Studios for over $40 million and directed by Brett Ratner, follows Melania Trump from the 2025 presidential campaign through Inauguration Day. Ratner, who has faced sexual misconduct allegations since 2017 , lived at the Trumps' Mar-a-Lago during filming, marking a professional comeback. Cook was photographed with Ratner at the event, where other attendees included former boxer Mike Tyson.
The screening occurred hours after the fatal shooting of 37-year-old nurse Alex Pretti by Border Patrol agents in Minneapolis, where Pretti was protesting immigration enforcement operations. Video footage shows Pretti attempting to assist a woman being pepper-sprayed before agents restrained and shot him; the Trump administration described it as self-defense, similar to the case of Renee Nicole Good.
Cook's presence sparked widespread online backlash, particularly from LGBTQ+ advocates who highlighted his history as the first openly gay Fortune 500 CEO and past opposition to anti-transgender legislation and discrimination laws. Lincoln Project co-founder Rick Wilson posted on X: “If you’re a CEO willing to sit in the company of this regime, your ‘shareholder value’ excuse feels pretty blood-soaked tonight.” David Corn, Washington bureau chief for Mother Jones, commented: “Tim Cook and Andy Jassy — and the rest—are accommodating an authoritarian who is presiding over a secret police force killing American citizens. The blood of Renee Good and Alex Pretti is on the hands of those who enable Trump.”
Critics targeted Cook's X bio quote from Martin Luther King Jr.: “Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, ‘What are you doing for others?’” One X user suggested removing it, calling it “off-brand” for attending the screening. Adam Cochran, a professor and consultant, addressed Cook directly on X: “How was this movie? The one you watched while Americans were shot... The same man who shits on the rights and values you’ve worked hard for at Apple — like environmental causes and LGBTQ rights?” Calls for Apple boycotts emerged, with one commenter stating: “It’s revolting — especially Tim Cook. I’m never buying another Apple product in my life.”
The criticism ties into broader concerns over Cook's engagement with the Trump administration, amid policies affecting transgender people and LGBTQ+ communities, such as military service bans and reductions in diversity initiatives. Cook has visited the White House multiple times in 2025, donated $1 million personally to Trump's inauguration, and presented a glass-and-gold plaque to Trump; Apple also contributed to the White House ballroom project. Neither Cook nor Apple has responded to the backlash as of Monday, January 26, 2026. The film is scheduled for a January 29 premiere at the Donald J. Trump and John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts, with a theatrical release on January 30.
