Donald Trump is receiving strong praise from some of the biggest names in the U.S. tech industry.
On Thursday, Sept. 4, the president hosted a White House dinner with top executives from major American tech companies. The gathering, which Trump called the “high IQ group,” focused on strengthening innovation in the United States.
Notable guests included Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Apple CEO Tim Cook, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, Google founder Sergey Brin, and Microsoft founder Bill Gates.
Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, who campaigned for Trump in 2024 and previously led the Department of Government Efficiency, did not attend after his recent split with the administration.
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The evening featured formal table settings, with gold china plates decorated with an image of the White House, gold cutlery, and microphones at each seat.
Zuckerberg was the first to speak, thanking Trump for bringing the group together. Like many of the executives that followed, he praised the president’s leadership.
“Well, thanks for hosting this. And this is quite a group to get together,” Zuckerberg, 41, said. “And I think you know all the companies here are building huge investments in the country in order to build their data centers and infrastructure to power the next wave of innovation.”
Bill Gates also spoke, adding, “So the work being done by the people at this table is changing the world. It’s coming fast, so it’s great we all get to get there and talk about how the U.S. can lead in this key area and apply it — even to the course outside the U.S. — as well as to our great citizens. So thank you for incredible leadership, including getting this group together. Thank you.”
Trump then welcomed Sergey Brin to speak. The Google founder attended with his partner, Gerelyn Gilbert-Soto, whom Trump described as a “really wonderful MAGA girlfriend.” Brin was previously married to Nicole Shanahan, who became Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s running mate during his independent 2024 presidential campaign.
Apple CEO Tim Cook also expressed appreciation, telling Trump he valued the president’s efforts to help companies expand worldwide.
“I want to thank you for setting the tone such that we could make a major investment in the United States and have some key manufacturing, advanced manufacturing here,” Cook said. “I think that says a lot about your focus and your leadership and your focus on innovation.”
