President Donald Trump is set to host a high-profile dinner at the White House this week. The guest list doesn’t comprise of foreign dignitaries but some of the most powerful American figures in the technology industry.
The event will take place in the newly renovated Rose Garden and will mark the President’s most significant gesture towards Silicon Valley since he took office in January.
The dinner has an impressive lineup of CEOs and executives from the world’s leading technology companies.
Many of the guests have confirmed their presence for the dinner, and it includes Apple’s Tim Cook, Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg, Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, Google’s Sundar Pichai, Oracle’s Safra Catz, Micron’s Sanjay Mehrotra, Palantir’s Shyam Sankar, Scale AI’s Alexandr Wang, and OpenAI’s Sam Altman and Greg Brockman.
However, so far, there has not been a confirmation from former first buddy Elon Musk. Musk and Trump had a very public falling out after he left the White House once his time with DOGE was over. It is not confirmed if Musk has not RSVPed yet or if he wasn’t even invited to the dinner.
Trumps to Host Industry Tech Leaders Today at AI Event at The White House.
Tech industry leaders including Meta Platforms Inc.’s Mark Zuckerberg, Apple Inc.’s Tim Cook, and Microsoft Corp.’s Satya Nadella are expected to attend an artificial intelligence event hosted by First… pic.twitter.com/ElHb3ZYQlN
— Gary Black (@garyblack00) September 4, 2025
If Musk had been purposefully excluded from the dinner, it would have confirmed the strained relationship between the President and the Tesla and SpaceX chief, who was once considered a close ally.
Earlier this year, First Lady Melania Trump hosted an AI roundtable. Ever since Melania released an AI audio version of her memoir titled Melania, she has been a champion of artificial intelligence. She has also advocated for AI to be taught and used in schools, while one remains careful of its reach and counterintuitive effects.
The gathering also emphasized the administration’s growing interest in AI and its possible development and regulation.
BE BEST:
“I am here with you today with a common goal – to protect our youth from online harm. The widespread presence of abusive behavior in the digital domain affects the daily lives of our children, families, and communities.”
First Lady Melania Trump
Be Best Roundtable on… pic.twitter.com/UCETDXELY8— First Lady Melania Trump (@FLOTUS) March 3, 2025
The Rose Garden dinner seems to be the continuation of the same. It also offers President Trump an opportunity to connect directly with the Tech executives. There might also be a discussion of the administration and its role in shaping the future of the industry.
The White House is taking this dinner as more than just optics. The Trump administration is very much interested in involving Silicon Valley leaders in policy conversations, and this could be important to the strategy.
Both political and tech leaders are expected to discuss AI regulation, national security, and economic growth.
Reaction to this planned dinner has been mixed so far. Trump supporters see the gathering as a smart political move. They believe that this meeting will give Trump a platform to join hands with tech leaders. For a long time in America, Tech and politics have locked horns for control over content and its role in media manipulation.
SCOOP from @AlexGangitano and me: Trump to host tech CEOs tomorrow for the first event in the newly renovated Rose Garden.
Expected attendees include Mark Zuckerberg, Tim Cook, Sundar Pichai, Bill Gates, Sam Altman and Sergey Brin, among several others.https://t.co/SzbffM2j68 pic.twitter.com/rcWMlIGmoZ
— Brett Samuels (@Brett_Samuels27) September 4, 2025
Critics believe that this dinner is just for optics and is hogwash, as it is all about access and influence. This dinner is not bipartisan, and critics question how the Republican Party will ensure that tech leaders will not feel the political dominance of the ruling party.
The newly renovated Rose Garden itself has also become part of the narrative. The jury is still out on the renovation of the garden, as there are many who absolutely despise the new look and others who couldn’t stop fawning over it.
The dinner is all about the delicate balance between politics and technology in today’s landscape. As AI, data privacy, and social media regulation become central issues, meetings like this can highlight who holds more power- money or politics. However, the absence of the richest man, Elon Musk, from the dinner party is a stark reminder that things may not be as smooth as one thinks.
