President Donald Trump rolled out the red carpet for a lineup of Silicon Valley’s biggest names at the White House on Thursday night. It was part business, part show, with tech billionaires competing to stay on Trump’s good side.
Notably missing from the guest list in person was Elon Musk. The Tesla CEO later explained on X that he had been invited but “unfortunately” couldn’t attend, adding that he sent a representative in his place. Trump didn’t ignore the absence, telling The Scott Jennings Show earlier in the week, “He’s got 80 percent super-genius, and then 20 percent he’s got some problems. When he works out the 20 percent, he’ll be great.”
At the dinner itself, Trump sat Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg right beside him, while Microsoft cofounder Bill Gates sat next to Melania Trump. Apple CEO Tim Cook and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman also cut.
The evening started out with plenty of flattery. Cook, seated across from Trump, said, “It’s incredible to be among everyone here, particularly you and the first lady. I’ve always enjoyed having dinner and interacting.” But Trump quickly shifted the tone, pressing each guest about how much money their companies were investing in the United States.
Cook was ready with a massive number. “I want to thank you for setting the tone such that we could make a major investment in the United States and have some key advanced manufacturing here,” he said. Apple’s commitment, he told Trump, was $600 billion. Trump praised the move as Apple “coming home in a big way,” even though the company has admitted final assembly of products will still be done overseas for now.
Altman followed up with similar praise for Trump. “Thank you for being such a pro-business, pro-innovation president. It’s a very refreshing change,” he said, promising that OpenAI would “invest a ton in the United States.” Trump eagerly jumped in to frame that as “hundreds of billions of dollars.”
That turned the dinner into something like a high-stakes auction, with Trump moving down the table asking for numbers. Google, he said, would be investing $250 billion in the next two years. Microsoft executives told him, planned $75 to $80 billion.
Before the meal, many of the same guests attended a session of the new Artificial Intelligence Education Task Force, chaired by Melania Trump.
Zuckerberg, usually one of the most media-savvy figures in the room, managed to keep a low profile through most of the evening until a reporter asked him about social media crackdowns in the U.K. Trump prompted him to answer, but Zuckerberg sheepishly admitted, “Sorry I wasn’t paying attention.” Trump teased him in response: “This is the beginning of your political career.” Zuckerberg quickly shut that down, saying, “No, it’s not.”
Between the pledges of massive investments, the lavish setting, and Trump’s mix of flattery and pressure, the dinner made one thing clear: Silicon Valley’s biggest players are still willing to show up when the president calls, even if Musk stays away.