U.S. President Donald Trump recently hosted a dinner at the White House with America’s top tech leaders. The meeting focused on artificial intelligence and investments in the United States. More than a dozen CEOs attended the event, including Bill Gates, Tim Cook, Mark Zuckerberg and Sundar Pichai. Trump, seated between first lady Melania Trump and Zuckerberg, asked each executive to share how much their companies were investing in America.
Trump said he did not watch health secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr’s Senate testimony but heard he performed “very well.” Calling Kennedy a “very good person” who “means very well,” Trump noted he appreciates his different ideas, even if they are contentious. The hearing itself was marked by heated clashes over Kennedy’s sweeping health care and vaccine policy changes. He also downplayed current gains as being mostly construction-related and promised that the US would soon witness job growth “like our country has never seen before.”
When asked if he planned to speak with Russian president Vladimir Putin, Trump confirmed, “I will be, yeah. We’re having a very good dialogue.” The remark came as Russia’s war in Ukraine drags on with no ceasefire in sight. Trump added that resolving the conflict had turned out to be “a bit tougher” than he initially expected, despite his claimed success in settling seven other wars.
Sundar Pichai thanks for Antitrust case bailout:
Sundar Pichai thanked Trump, telling him, “I’m glad it’s over” after a US judge threw out a landmark case that sought to break up Google’s Chrome browser. The ruling sparked a surge in Alphabet’s market value, which crossed $2.5 trillion this week. For Pichai, the dinner was a chance to reset ties with an administration that had frequently accused Google of bias.
Bill Gates praises vaccine initiative:
Bill Gates openly praised Trump’s Covid-19 vaccine initiative, calling it a model for rapid medical innovation. He said Microsoft was committed to helping the US government in disease research and listed ongoing projects on HIV, polio and sickle cell. Gates’ comments were made just hours after RFK Jr’s contentious hearing over vaccine policy.
Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg & Apple’s Tim Cook pledge to invest ‘$600 billion’ in US:
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Apple CEO Tim Cook have pledged a massive $600 billion investment in the United States during a White House dinner hosted by former President Donald Trump. The commitment underscores the tech giants’ growing role in shaping the nation’s economic future, highlighting their plans to expand innovation, job creation, and infrastructure development across the country.
Elon Musk says he was invited to Trump’s CEO dinner, but guest list disputes it:
The dinner missed just one guest, it’s none other than his ex-best friend Elon Musk. Although Tesla and Space X CEO Elon Musk has claimed he was invited to a high-profile White House dinner with President Donald Trump and leading technology executives, despite his name not appearing on the guest list.
Through a post he cleared the reason for his absence posting “I was invited, but unfortunately could not attend. A representative of mine will be there.” It has not been confirmed whether anyone from his team attended. Yet his absence only adds fuel to fire on claims of his fallout with President Trump. His claim of an invitation could signal that relations with the White House are beginning to thaw.
President Trump is also seen trying to appease his friend during an interview on the Scott Jennings Show. Trump said Musk will ultimately return to the Republican Party despite their public falling out earlier this year. “I don’t think he has a choice. He’s a good man. He got off the reservation incorrectly, and that’s okay, because, you know, it’s just one of those things,” Trump said. He described Musk as “80% super genius, and then 20% he’s got some problems. And when he works out the 20% he’ll be great, but he’s got some difficulty.”