Trump presses tech CEOs on U.S. manufacturing investments at White House event

09/08/2025 / By Laura Harris

President Donald Trump convened top tech CEOs on Sept. 4 for a private dinner focused on securing commitments to U.S. manufacturing and domestic investment.
Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg pledged $600B through 2028, Apple’s Tim Cook reaffirmed $600B, Google’s Sundar Pichai committed $250B, and Microsoft’s Satya Nadella announced $80B annually.
Trump emphasized streamlined permitting and electric capacity for businesses, while executives like Pichai and Altman praised the administration’s AI initiatives.
Elon Musk, recently appointed to lead the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), was notably absent following a public falling-out with Trump earlier this year.
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, a key AI rival to Musk, attended in Musk’s absence – a symbolic shift that drew attention within tech and political circles.

President Donald Trump has hosted a rare and high-profile gathering of America’s top technology leaders to press executives on their companies’ commitments to investing in U.S. manufacturing.

The private dinner-turned-policy discussion at the White House, held on Sept. 4, was attended by CEOs from some of the world’s most powerful companies seated at a long table with microphones and nameplates in front of each.

“I know all of them indirectly, and I know some of them very well, but I know everybody at the table indirectly through reading about you and studying, knowing a lot about your business,” Trump said at the start of the event, adding that he’s “making it very easy” for businesses “in terms of electric capacity and getting it for you, getting your permits.”

The president, seated beside Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and with First Lady Melania Trump opposite him, then started asking the gathered tech leaders to share exactly how much they are investing in American operations and manufacturing. Zuckerberg first revealed that Meta plans to invest at least $600 billion in the U.S. through 2028. (Related: A strategic investment: Meta donates $1M to Trump inauguration fund.)

Trump then turned to Google CEO Sundar Pichai, asking about a recent legal victory allowing Google to retain control over its Chrome browser following a federal ruling on Tuesday. Pichai shifted the conversation instead to artificial intelligence, praising the Trump administration’s recently released AI action plan as “a great start.” He later confirmed that Google is investing $250 billion in the United States.

Apple CEO Tim Cook, a frequent guest at White House events under the Trump administration, thanked the president for the invitation and reaffirmed Apple’s $600 billion investment in the U.S. – a figure recently updated during a visit to the Oval Office last August. Meanwhile, CEO Satya Nadella of Microsoft revealed that their company will invest $80 billion annually.

Trump has made American manufacturing and economic nationalism a key pillar of both his first and third presidential terms and the gathering served as a public push for corporate alignment with that agenda.

Musk not invited following rift with Trump

Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, who briefly served as a top Trump adviser earlier this year, was not invited to the exclusive dinner following a rift with the president.

According to Brighteon.AI‘s Enoch, Musk headed the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) in the second Trump administration. He was tasked to conduct a comprehensive audit of the federal government to identify and eliminate wasteful and unnecessary programs to reduce the U.S. budget by at least $2 trillion.

However, Musk and Trump had a public falling-out earlier this year. A representative for Musk’s companies also did not attend. Instead, seated at the table in his place was one of Musk’s key rivals in the AI space: Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI.

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Watch the video below that talks about several popular left-wingers deflecting to the “Trump Camp,” including Amazon’s Jeff Bezos and Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg.

This video is from the InfoWars channel on Brighteon.com.