Walter Isaacson Calls Out Big Companies ‘Kowtowing’ to Trump By Donating to His Inaugural

Elon Musk biographer Walter Isaacson, told CNBC’s Squawk Box Monday that Silicon Valley billionaires flocking down to meet with President-elect Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago was akin to “kowtowing” to the “emperor”.

CNBC Host Andrew Ross Sorkin asked Isaacson what he made of the number of tech CEOs like Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg, Google founder Sergey Brin, and Apple’s Tim Cook heading to Florida to have dinner with the president-elect and to contribute to his inaugural events. Amazon’s Jeff Bezos was expected to make his pilgrimage this week.

“The word ‘kowtowing’ comes from everybody going to the emperor in China and kowtowing,” Isaacson said of the ancient Chinese practice of bowing to show fealty to the Powers That Be.

“And, indeed, I think that’s what you’re seeing,” he continued:

I think in a broader sense one of the things, that can be a problem for the administration and has been around the world, when you have very strong leadership, is this whiff — ‘corruption’ may be too much to say — but the whiff of kowtowing and payoffs.

He might get his hotel back in Washington and everybody will have to stay there. Or then, people will join Mar-a-Lago. I think that could turn people off a lot but I think you’re seeing that these companies, Tim Cook is down there showing him the new foldable phone. That’s understandable. But it’s clearly a lot of kowtowing going on.

Isaacson also spoke about a potential falling-out between Elon Musk and Donald Trump as the new Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) begins slashing the federal budget.

“This is not exactly the most stable ‘bromance’ if you were writing a movie,” Isaacson said. “Because Elon Musk has never worked for anybody before and Donald Trump has never shared the limelight very generously before. But, at the moment, they’ve got a common cause, and that common cause is going to keep them together.

Watch the clip via CNBC Squawk Box.