President Trump on Thursday night hosted top tech executives in a one-of-a-kind White House event, during which he asked attendees to say how much their companies were investing in U.S. manufacturing.
The president sat beside Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg at a long table, with first lady Melania Trump on the other side. Microphones and place sittings sat in front of each attendee in the State Dining Room, after the event was moved inside due to rain.
It was slated to be the inaugural event in the newly renovated Rose Garden.
“We don’t often get together as the CEOs of the different companies but it’s good to,” Zuckerberg said.
Trump asked him how much he’s spending over the next few years, and he said at least $600 billion in the U.S. through 2028.
Trump asked Sundar Pichai, founder and CEO of Google, about the win he had when a federal judge ruled Google could hold onto its Chrome browser on Tuesday. Instead of discussing the court decision, Pichai turned to discuss AI, saying that the Trump administration’s AI action plan is “a great start.” Pichai, when asked, said Google is investing $250 billion.
Apple CEO Tim Cook thanked Trump for including him in the event and when Trump asked how much his company will be investing in the U.S., he said $600 billion. Cook joined Trump in the Oval Office last month to announce the latest investment to bring the total to $600 billion.
Notably absent was Elon Musk, the Tesla CEO and SpaceX founder, who served as a special government employee and top Trump adviser for the first few months of the year before feuding with Trump. A representative for Musk’s companies also did not attend.
“I know all of them indirectly, and I know some of them very well, but I know everybody at the table indirectly through reading about you and studying, knowing a lot about your business,” Trump said at the beginning of the event. He added that he is “making it very easy” for businesses “in terms of electric capacity and getting it for you, getting your permits.”
While moving around the table, Microsoft founder Bill Gates, sitting next to the first lady, said he is working on innovating on health— touting his work on vaccines and on providing health care to Africa through AI.
Gates was critical of Musk in May for his work for the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), especially for slashing the budget of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). He accused him of “killing the world’s poorest children.”
Sitting next to Zuckerberg was David Sacks, a venture capitalist who has been tasked as the White House czar on artificial intelligence and cryptocurrency, who said there a “boom in AI because of what President Trump has done.”
Google founder Sergey Brin said it’s “phenomenal” that an American president is putting pressure on Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro and called it “civil rights work.” When Trump asked him to speak, he praised “his really wonderful MAGA girlfriend,” Gerelyn Gilbert-Soto, who was sitting next to him.
Lisa Su, CEO of advanced Micro Devices, around the table, said she’s “grateful” for the support on AI.
