Apple CEO Tim Cook joined a group of major technology executives at the White House this week for a dinner hosted by First Lady Melania Trump, focused on artificial intelligence and domestic investments. The event, described by attendees as reminiscent of the President’s cabinet meetings, featured tech leaders taking turns to highlight Donald Trump’s economic and innovation policies.
According to The Wall Street Journal, the guest list featured OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Microsoft founder Bill Gates, Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai, and IBM CEO Arvind Krishna. Several executives pointed to Trump’s emphasis on chip production and artificial intelligence as areas where the administration had set a business-friendly environment. Altman highlighted Trump as a “pro-business, pro-innovation president,” while Cook linked Apple’s domestic initiatives to the government’s agenda.
Cook referenced Apple’s $600 billion American Manufacturing Program, which consolidates its domestic investments in suppliers and factories. “I want to thank you for setting the tone such that we can make a major investment in the United States and have some key manufacturing here. I think it says a lot about your leadership and focus on innovation,” he said. His remarks came as Trump reiterated that Apple would not face tariffs on its U.S. imports, a promise that has allowed the company to avoid higher costs while maintaining American manufacturing commitments.
The conversation at the dinner also included recent policy developments. Trump asked Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai about Google’s favorable antitrust ruling, which avoided the risk of being forced to divest Chrome and Android or cut partnerships with Apple and Mozilla. Pichai responded briefly, saying he was glad the case was over, while Trump emphasized that the lawsuit had been initiated under the Biden administration.
While most of the industry’s top executives attended, Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk and Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang were absent, a notable omission given both companies’ central roles in AI and semiconductor development. Their absence was highlighted against the backdrop of Trump’s focus on chip production and advanced technology.
The dinner underscored Trump’s effort to position his administration as a driving force for innovation, chip manufacturing, and investment in the U.S. For Apple, it provided a chance to align its multibillion-dollar American Manufacturing Program with policy support while benefiting from tariff exemptions that help secure its supply chain.
