President Donald Trump’s penchant for Twitter mischief is very well-known, but he’s not the only public figure who knows how to use the social network to get a rise out of people. Apple CEO Tim Cook made a rather small change to his Twitter profile—presumably in jest. He changed his name to “Tim Apple,” which is what Trump called him in a recent meeting.
“Tim Apple” reporting for duty
Trump referred to Apple’s chief by the alternative moniker on Wednesday during a meeting of the American Workforce Policy Advisory Board at the White House. Cook didn’t react outwardly to the president’s apparent mistake, but others were quick to point it out. In fact, the “Tim Apple” comment went vital, capturing headlines and social media posts across the country.
Many were quick to make fun of his age by joking about Alzheimer’s or dementia. It certainly wasn’t the first time Trump was in a meeting with Cook. The two have met multiple times since Trump entered the White House.
CNBC notes that Trump has frequently attached derogatory nicknames for his public adversaries, like Amazon founder and Washington Post owner Jeff Bezos, whom he referred to as “Jeff Bozo.” However, it doesn’t seem as if his slip-up with Cook was meant to be derogatory in nature. The media outlet recalled a similar mistake the president made with Lockheed Martin CEO Marillyn Hewson, whom he referred to as “Marillyn Lockheed.”
Lighthearted Twitter banter from Tim Apple
Technically, “Tim Apple” used a Unicode symbol of an Apple logo for his display name, so you might not be able to see the change. Only iOS or Mac users will be able to see the logo. Android and Windows users will only see a box with an X through it or some other symbol designating a character that’s not in the standard English alphabet.
When Cook changed his Twitter name to Tim Apple, it didn’t take long for news organizations and tech blogs to spot the change. Trump’s daughter Ivanka even joked with him about the incident in a tweet of her own:
— Ivanka Trump (@IvankaTrump) March 7, 2019