Trump Hosts Tech CEOs at White House Dinner, Musk Absent

President Donald Trump hosted a dinner for leading technology and business executives at the White House on August 17, 2023. The event focused on fostering corporate investment in the United States, aiming to boost domestic spending amid the ongoing surge in artificial intelligence (AI) development. Notable attendees included Meta co-founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Apple CEO Tim Cook, Microsoft co-founder Steve Ballmer, Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai, and Oracle CEO Safra Catz.

The dinner was held in the White House State Dining Room, where Trump reassured attendees about the availability of electric power necessary for expanding data center infrastructure. According to a report by Bloomberg, he emphasized that the U.S. is significantly outpacing China in terms of technological leadership, stating, “We’re making it very easy for you in terms of electric capacity and getting it for you, getting your permits.”

During the evening, Trump encouraged executives to share their plans for investments in the U.S. Zuckerberg was the first to speak, announcing a commitment of at least $600 billion in investments through 2028. He remarked, “All of the companies here are building, just making huge investments in the country in order to build out data centers and infrastructure to power the next wave of innovation.”

Cook expressed gratitude towards Trump for creating a favorable environment for major investments. Following a previous meeting with the president, Apple had disclosed plans to increase its domestic investment by $100 billion. Trump suggested that Apple could be exempt from “substantial” semiconductor tariffs for companies that do not invest adequately in the U.S., saying, “Tim Cook would be in pretty good shape.”

Earlier on the same day, the White House announced that Hitachi Energy had committed to a $1 billion investment aimed at enhancing the U.S. critical electrical grid infrastructure. This includes a $457 million investment in a new facility in Virginia for large power transformers.

A notable absence at the dinner was Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla and SpaceX. Musk, who has a history of supporting Trump, later clarified through his social media platform X that he was invited but could not attend, stating, “A representative of mine will be there.” His absence was highlighted, particularly given his previous engagement with the Trump administration.

Musk had been invited to a summit focused on electric vehicles during the Biden administration but was overlooked, likely due to Tesla’s non-unionized status. While he initially supported Trump during the last campaign, Musk’s relationship with the former president soured after he criticized Trump’s tax policies, which he believed would contribute to inflation.

The dinner underscored the administration’s focus on strengthening partnerships with major technology firms to stimulate economic growth and innovation in the U.S. This commitment from corporate leaders could play a crucial role in shaping the future of the technology landscape as the country navigates the complexities of AI and infrastructure development.