President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump hosted some of America’s most powerful tech leaders at the White House Thursday night. Apple’s Tim Cook, Microsoft’s Satya Nadella and Bill Gates, Google’s Sundar Pichai, OpenAI’s Sam Altman, and Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg were all in attendance. One notable absence: Elon Musk.
What followed was a mix of policy talk, jokes, and candid hot-mic moments.
ON RUSSIA AND UKRAINE
Trump said he plans to speak with Russian President Vladimir Putin “in the near future” as part of efforts to end the war in Ukraine. He insisted his personal rapport with Putin could make peace talks easier, even while admitting, “This one turned out to be more difficult, but we’ll get it.”
CONSPIRACY THEORIES ON HEALTH
The president brushed off social media rumours about his health with a laugh. “I went to an event and people are coming up to me and saying, ‘You’re still here?’ I said, ‘What do they mean by that?’” Trump quipped.
ON THE JOBS REPORT
Asked whether he would trust Friday’s upcoming Bureau of Labour Statistics jobs report, Trump declined. “I don’t know,” he said, before accusing past BLS leadership of political manipulation. “The real numbers will come as tech companies invest in building infrastructure in America.”
NYC POLITICS
Trump weighed in on the New York City mayoral race, saying: “I’d prefer not to have a communist mayor of New York City,” referring to Democratic nominee Zohran Mamdani. Speculation has swirled about whether Mayor Eric Adams might abandon his reelection bid to join Trump’s administration.
HOT MIC MOMENT WITH ZUCKERBERG
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg drew laughs when, caught on a hot mic, he told Trump, “Sorry, I wasn’t ready” after being pressed on free speech in Britain. Trump teased him: “This is the beginning of your political career.” Zuckerberg shot back: “No it’s not.”
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg listens as President Donald Trump speaks during a dinner in the State Dining Room of the White House (AP Photo)
GATES PRAISES TRUMP ON VACCINES
Bill Gates praised Trump’s “Warp Speed” vaccine push and said the president is now talking with him about curing HIV, polio, and sickle cell disease. “The president and I are talking about taking American innovation to the next level to cure and even eradicate some of these diseases,” Gates said.
Bill Gates speaking during a dinner in the State Dining Room of the White House (AP Photo)
GOOGLE’S ANTITRUST RELIEF
Google CEO Sundar Pichai, buoyed by a favourable court ruling in an antitrust case, told Trump, “I’m glad it’s over.” Trump replied the company had a “very good day” as Alphabet stock soared.
– Ends
With inputs from agencies