President Trump is set to host a high-profile dinner tonight in the newly renovated White House Rose Garden, welcoming two dozen top tech and business leaders.
The guest list includes prominent figures such as Meta founder Mark Zuckerberg, Apple CEO Tim Cook, Microsoft founder Bill Gates, OpenAI founder Sam Altman, and White House AI and crypto czar David Sacks. The event follows a separate White House gathering on artificial intelligence led by First Lady Melania Trump, signaling the administration’s focus on tech and innovation.
Notably absent from the invite list is Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, a former close ally who led the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) before a public falling out with Trump earlier this year. Some critics view the exclusion as petty, given Musk’s apology to Trump following their dispute, which stemmed from disagreements over political credit and policy. Others argue Musk’s absence is particularly striking since former Trump adversaries like Zuckerberg and Gates are invited, suggesting a selective reconciliation.
Musk’s significant contributions to Trump’s 2024 campaign and the MAGA movement, including substantial financial support, fuel calls for the two to mend their rift. Supporters believe Musk’s role in DOGE, aimed at streamlining government operations, warrants his inclusion in such a pivotal tech-policy dinner. The renovated Rose Garden, now styled with tables and umbrellas reminiscent of Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort, is being hailed as “the hottest place to be” by White House spokesperson Davis Ingle. The event is a demonstration of Trump’s evolving relationship with the tech elites of Silicon Valley, as they align with his administration’s push to roll back diversity initiatives and advance AI and crypto policies.
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