Trump to Host Tech CEOs Except Musk at White House Dinner/ Newslooks/ WASHINGTON/ J. Mansour/ morning Edition/ President Donald Trump is hosting top tech leaders, including Apple’s Tim Cook and Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg, at a private White House dinner in the Rose Garden. Notably absent is Elon Musk, following a public fallout with the administration. The event follows an AI education task force meeting chaired by First Lady Melania Trump.
Trump Hosts Tech CEOs Quick Looks
- Trump to host tech industry leaders Thursday night in the White House Rose Garden
- Guest list includes Tim Cook, Mark Zuckerberg, Bill Gates, Sundar Pichai, and others
- Elon Musk not invited after public fallout with Trump
- Dinner follows an AI task force event led by Melania Trump
- First lady compares guiding AI to “raising children”
- Rose Garden redesigned to resemble Trump’s Mar-a-Lago outdoor layout
- Google, Microsoft, OpenAI, Meta, and Oracle executives attending
- Former Musk associate Jared Isaacman no longer leading NASA after nomination revoked
- Trump calls new patio space “the hottest place in Washington”
Trump to Host Tech CEOs Except Musk at White House Dinner
Deep Look
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump will welcome a who’s-who of Silicon Valley to the White House Rose Garden Thursday evening for a high-profile dinner that signals the administration’s renewed engagement with AI and technology leadership—but Elon Musk won’t be among them.
Executives expected to attend include Apple CEO Tim Cook, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Microsoft founder Bill Gates, and Google CEO Sundar Pichai, alongside leaders from OpenAI, Oracle, Palantir, and other tech giants, according to a White House statement.
The private event, set for 7:30 p.m. ET, will be held on the newly redesigned Rose Garden patio, which now features umbrella-shaded tables inspired by Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club. Trump’s spokesperson Davis Ingle described it as “the hottest place to be in Washington, or perhaps the world.”
Elon Musk Left Off the List
Conspicuously missing from the guest list is Tesla and X Corp. CEO Elon Musk, once a close Trump confidante and former head of the short-lived Department of Government Efficiency. Their alliance fractured earlier this year after a series of public disagreements and the revocation of Musk ally Jared Isaacman’s NASA nomination.
Trump later described Isaacman as “totally a Democrat,” suggesting the decision contributed to Musk’s falling-out with the White House.
Despite Musk’s absence, Isaacman—CEO of Shift4 Payments—is expected to attend Thursday’s dinner.
AI in Focus: Melania Trump Leads New Task Force
The dinner follows the inaugural session of the Artificial Intelligence Education Task Force, chaired by First Lady Melania Trump. Scheduled for 1 p.m. ET, the task force aims to develop national AI education strategies for American youth.
“During this primitive stage, it is our duty to treat AI as we would our own children — empowering, but with watchful guidance,” Melania Trump said in a statement ahead of the meeting. “We are living in a moment of wonder, and it is our responsibility to prepare America’s children.”
Some dinner attendees are also expected to participate in the AI meeting earlier in the day.
Who’s Attending the Rose Garden Dinner?
Confirmed guests include a mix of legacy tech leaders and AI innovators:
- Tim Cook – CEO, Apple
- Mark Zuckerberg – CEO, Meta
- Bill Gates – Co-founder, Microsoft
- Sundar Pichai – CEO, Google
- Satya Nadella – CEO, Microsoft
- Sam Altman and Greg Brockman – CEO and co-founder, OpenAI
- Sergey Brin – Co-founder, Google
- Safra Catz – CEO, Oracle
- David Limp – CEO, Blue Origin
- Sanjay Mehrotra – CEO, Micron
- Vivek Ranadivé – Chairman, TIBCO Software
- Shyam Sankar – Executive, Palantir
- Alexandr Wang – CEO, Scale AI
- Jared Isaacman – CEO, Shift4 Payments
The group reflects a blend of established corporate giants and AI-focused startups—a sign that the Trump administration is casting a wide net in its attempt to shape the future of artificial intelligence policy.
Politics and Optics: Trump Leans Into the Optics
Trump’s event is as much about political messaging as policy. Hosting tech giants in a setting styled after his Florida resort blends his personal brand with presidential authority, signaling both power and hospitality as he gears up for another presidential election cycle.
The Rose Garden renovation, which controversially replaced traditional greenery with stone paving and tables, drew mixed reactions but has become a centerpiece of Trump’s renewed outreach to the business community.
While Trump’s relationship with Silicon Valley has been tumultuous, this event could mark a new phase of collaboration—albeit on his own terms.
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