US President Donald Trump hosted big guns of the US tech world at the White House Thursday evening (US time). The 79-year-old held open the gates of the official residence for a dinner meeting at the State Dining Room, where they all jumped on the opportunity to heap hefty praise on him. Some of the most notable faces of Big Tech on the table were Mark Zuckerberg, Bill Gates, Sam Altman, Satya Nadella, Tim Cook and Sundar Pichai among others.
Elon Musk, however, skipped the big night despite his former close-knit bromance with the MAGA leader. Given his absence, the Internet erupted into a frenzied fury, speculating that Trump had intentionally snubbed the Tesla CEO over their recent differences and fractured friendship.
Elon Musk skipped Trump CEO meeting
Musk swiftly took to his social media platform X to quash those discordant rumours, saying that he was, in fact, invited to the event but couldn’t attend. “A representative of mine will be there,” he added in his response to an X user, who questioned in disbelief: “Bill Gates but not Elon Musk….wtf?”
I was invited, but unfortunately could not attend. A representative of mine will be there.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) September 4, 2025
Snaps from inside the White House spotted Zuckerberg sitting on the Republican president’s right side, while Bill Gates took a seat on First lady Melania Trump’s left side. As the first couple remained sandwiched between two tech overlords, neither of who was Elon Musk, enraged netizens unloaded his thoughts.
Internet fumes at Bill Gates joining Trump Team
“It was Elon who risked his entire business, his reputation and hundreds of millions of $$$ in swing states to help get President trump elected in 2024,” the ‘Wall Street Mav’ page tweeted online. “If President Trump needs tech advisors, Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg should not be anywhere near the White House. They both fund radical left wing groups opposed to MAGA and Trump’s policies.”
In yet another post, the account bemoaned, “Elon should be there, not Bill Gates. This is the wrong timeline.”
An account called ‘Wall Street Apes’ backed the argument, saying, “Something has gone VERY wrong, tonight at the White House dinner
– On the Left: Sitting next to Trump is Bill Gates
– On the right: Sitting next to Trump is Mark Zuckerberg
Bring back Elon Musk and Donald Trump unity.”
It was Elon who risked his entire business, his reputation and hundreds of millions of $$$ in swing states to help get President Trump elected in 2024.
— Wall Street Mav (@WallStreetMav) September 5, 2025
If President Trump needs tech advisors, Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg should not be anywhere near the White House. They both… pic.twitter.com/dHkr4uiUra
User Robby Starbuck also unleashed his tirade on the issue, calling Bill Gates’ presence at the White House “infuriating.” Without mincing words, he added, “I want a future where we stop giving power to evil people like Gates. He’s a globalist who hates the America First ideology. His God complex deserves nothing but contempt.”
Tech titans on Trump’s side amid Musk exile
The White House dinner particularly had numerous tech CEOs lining up as Melania Trump embraces her ‘First Lady of Technology’ title by backing an artificial intelligence initiative that seeks to enable American children to use AI. While this wasn’t the first time Silicon Valley leaders had been drawn in by the MAGA leader, as even his election campaign saw them donate millions of dollars to his inaugural committee.
Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg, Apple’s Tim Cook, OpenAI’s Sam Altman, Microsoft founder Bill Gates and others have notably pivoted to the Republican right in their apparent attempts to stay on the president’s side. Ahead of his inauguration, Trump drew in consequential big-shot donors. Axios reported back in December 2024 that Amazon, Meta and OpenAI each promised $1 million, while Uber pitched in $2 million.
It’s infuriating to see Bill Gates at the White House in a position of honor. I want a future where we stop giving power to evil people like Gates. He’s a globalist who hates the America First ideology. His God complex deserves nothing but contempt. pic.twitter.com/IpfuXbRekI
— Robby Starbuck (@robbystarbuck) September 5, 2025
Elon Musk vs Bill Gates: Where they stood ahead of Trump’s inauguration
However, nobody came close to Elon Musk’s contributions to Trump’s re-election bid at the time. According to the Washington Post’s January 2025 report, the billionaire tech titan pitched in at least $288 million in his effort to get the MAGA leader and other Republican candidates elected. The outlet’s analysis of the Federal Election Commission filings “cemented Musk’s status as the biggest political donor of the recent presidential cycle,” standing in as a “de facto, unelected co-president” until their relations soured over the ‘Big Beautiful Bill’ and the Jeffrey Epstein scandal.
On the other hand, Bill Gates reportedly had a different stance on a second Donald Trump presidency altogether. People briefed on the matter spilled to the New York Post in October 2024 that the Microsoft founder had privately donated about $50 million to Future Forward, a nonprofit organisation supporting Kamala Harris’ presidential bid.
“I support candidates who demonstrate a clear commitment to improving health care, reducing poverty and fighting climate change in the US and around the world,” Gates also shared with the outlet. “I have a long history of working with leaders across the political spectrum, but this election is different, with unprecedented significance for Americans and the most vulnerable people around the world.”
Taking a contrary stance this August, The Gates Foundation had pulled the plug on its financial support for a Democratic Party-linked nonprofit network.