President Trump Hosts White House Dinner for Tech Giants, Elon Musk Absent
Washington, D.C., September 4, 2025 — President Donald Trump hosted an exclusive dinner Thursday night at the White House, inviting more than a dozen of the nation’s leading technology and business executives. While most of the top-tier tech leaders attended, Tesla CEO Elon Musk was notably absent.
According to the White House and first reported by The Hill, attendees included Meta founder Mark Zuckerberg, Apple CEO Tim Cook, Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, OpenAI founder Sam Altman, Google CEO Sundar Pichai, and Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella. President Trump was seated next to Zuckerberg, while Gates was placed beside First Lady Melania Trump.
During the evening, the president praised the assembled business leaders, calling them “leaders of a revolution in business and in genius” and highlighting the collective intelligence of the group. “This is definitely a high-IQ group, and I’m very proud of them,” Trump said.
Several executives were invited to address the room. Gates focused much of his remarks on vaccine innovation, highlighting advancements in technology for diseases such as HIV and sickle cell anemia. He also lauded Trump’s Operation Warp Speed initiative during the COVID-19 pandemic. The timing of Gates’ comments coincided with a tense Senate hearing questioning Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a longtime vaccine skeptic. Trump described Kennedy as “a very good person” with “a different take” on health and vaccines, adding, “It’s not your standard talk, I would say. But I like the fact that he’s different.”
Elon Musk confirmed via X (formerly Twitter) that he had been invited but could not attend, stating that a representative would attend in his place. Musk previously had a public falling-out with Trump over government spending and the handling of Epstein-related files and had briefly discussed forming a new political party, the “America Party,” which has not materialized. Earlier this week, Trump predicted that Musk would eventually return to the Republican fold, calling him “a man of common sense” and “80% super genius” with some challenges to resolve.
The dinner, held in the State Dining Room, was briefly open to press photographers before continuing behind closed doors. Earlier in the day, First Lady Melania Trump hosted an AI summit, which some of the evening’s attendees also attended.
President Trump has consistently sought to cultivate relationships with major tech executives, hosting several at the White House, offering prime access during his inauguration, and encouraging them to invest in U.S. operations. Recent examples include Apple’s $100 billion commitment to domestic manufacturing, announced last month at a White House event, and the U.S. government’s 10% stake acquisition in Intel shortly after a meeting with CEO Lip-Bu Tan—a move that sparked criticism from some conservatives and economists.
In addition, Trump has pressed tech companies to increase domestic chip production, threatening steep tariffs on imported semiconductors unless companies commit to manufacturing in the United States.
Thursday’s dinner underscored the administration’s ongoing efforts to engage with the nation’s leading innovators while navigating complex relationships with figures such as Musk, who have publicly expressed differing political views.
