Tech magnates convene at the White House for a private dinner with President Trump, excluding Elon Musk's presence
White House Dinner Gathers Tech Titans and Political Figures
In a grand gathering at the White House on September 5, 2025, President Trump hosted a dinner attended by more than a dozen tech leaders and political figures. Among the notable attendees were Mark Zuckerberg, Tim Cook, Bill Gates, Sam Altman, Sundar Pichai, and Satya Nadella. However, Elon Musk, the world's richest person, was conspicuously absent.
The evening began with President Trump hailing the business leaders, referring to them as "leading a revolution in business and in genius." Mark Zuckerberg, seated next to President Trump, found himself across the table from Melania Trump. Bill Gates, Tim Cook, Sam Altman, and Sergey Brin were also in attendance.
During his speech, Bill Gates expressed the need for new research for diseases like HIV and sickle cell anemia. He also praised the Operation Warp Speed COVID-19 vaccine initiative. Gates used his speaking time to discuss advancements in vaccine technology.
Trump characterized Elon Musk as a "good man" who "got off the reservation, incorrectly." He predicted that Musk would eventually return to the Republican Party. In a surprising turn of events, Trump threatened a roughly 100% tariff on imported semiconductors unless companies agree to start making chips in the U.S. Apple committed to a $100 billion investment in U.S. manufacturing in response to this announcement.
The evening was not without controversy. Trump described Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a vaccine skeptic, as a "very good person" who "means very well" and has a "different take" on vaccines and medicine. This move drew criticism from some conservatives and economists. Hours before the dinner, Kennedy faced tense questions in a Senate hearing.
The U.S. government took a 10% stake in Intel, and the company leaders present, excluding Musk, were Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, Apple CEO Tim Cook, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, and Google co-founder Sergey Brin. Some individuals who also attended an AI summit hosted by Melania Trump earlier in the day were present at the dinner.
The dinner concluded with a sense of anticipation for the future, as the tech titans and political figures left the White House, discussions about innovation, investment, and technological advancements lingering in the air.
This report was contributed to by Sara Cook and Kristin Brown.
