Apple CEO Tim Cook explains why he met with Donald Trump, Elon Musk

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FOX Business Hillary Vaughn speaks to Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., about his meeting with Apple CEO Tim Cook over the tech giants relationship with the Chinese government.

To anyone surprised by Tim Cook dining with former President Trump at the White House or meeting with Twitter CEO Elon Musk despite perceived differences of opinion, the longtime Apple CEO has offered an explanation — and it comes down to his "philosophy."

In an interview published Monday by GQ, Cook was asked about his separate dealings with Trump and Musk, and the CEO replied, "The philosophy is engagement."

Apple CEO Tim Cook arrives at the White House to attend a state dinner honoring French President Emmanuel Macron, in Washington, D.C., on Dec. 1, 2022. (ROBERTO SCHMIDT / AFP via Getty Images / Getty Images)

"I feel very strongly about engaging with people regardless of whether they agree with you or not," Cook told the outlet. "I actually think it’s even more important to engage when there’s disagreement."

The Apple CEO, whose company has faced criticism for years over its heavy reliance on manufacturing in China, met several times with Trump during Washington’s trade war with Beijing.

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The meetings won Cook praise from Trump in 2019.

Then-President Donald Trump speaks alongside Apple CEO Tim Cook (L) during the first meeting of the American Workforce Policy Advisory Board in the State Dining Room of the White House in Washington, D.C., on March 6, 2019. (SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images / Getty Images)

"Tim Cook calls Donald Trump directly," the president said at the time. "That's why he's a great executive because he calls me, and others don't."

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Cook also made headlines for hosting Musk last fall after the Twitter CEO publicly accused Apple of no longer advertising on Twitter and threatening to remove the social media giant from its App Store, insinuating it was because the iPhone maker was trying to censor content on the platform.

But two days later, Musk tweeted a video thanking Cook for a tour of the Apple campus in Cupertino, California, commenting on the company's "beautiful HQ."

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"Good conversation," Musk wrote at the time. "Among other things, we resolved the misunderstanding about Twitter potentially being removed from the App Store. Tim was clear that Apple never considered doing so."

FOX Business' Sarah Rumpf contributed to this report.