The item, a glass sculpture resembling a silicon wafer, was mounted on a 24-karat gold base and engraved with the president’s name. Mr Cook described the piece as a “unique unit of one”, noting it was designed by a former US Marine now working at Apple.

The exchange preceded a major announcement from the tech giant, with Mr Cook pledging an additional $100 billion (c. £75bn) in US investment for jobs and suppliers.

The event also saw President Trump introduce a sweeping 100% tariff on all imported computer chips. Crucially, he confirmed that Apple had successfully secured an exemption from this new levy. The concession is significant, as Mr Cook had previously estimated that such tariffs could cost Apple as much as $900 million (c. £670m), The Washington Post reports.

Despite past tensions, which included the president once referring to him as “Tim Apple”, Mr Cook praised Trump for being “a great advocate for American innovation and manufacturing”, adding, “we’re a proud American company”.