Trump Jokes About Zuckerberg’s Political Career at Dinner

The event occurred at a dinner hosted by Trump with various technology leaders, presided over by a reporter who asked Zuckerberg if he thought they were going to have free speech in Britain soon.

America’s President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump hosted some of the most powerful tech leaders at the White House Thursday night. At the dinner, Trump joked about Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s “political career,” prompting a quick and direct “no” response from Zuckerberg.

The unprecedented moment arose at a dinner Trump hosted with a group of tech leaders, during which a reporter asked Zuckerberg if he thought they were going to have free speech in Britain soon. Caught off guard, Zuckerberg fumbled with a small response, saying “Sorry, I wasn’t ready” and then trailing off as the journalists were exiting the room.

Trump’s comment drew laughter, as he leaned over to reiterate it to Melania Trump, who was seated to his right.

“This is the beginning of your political career” Trump joked, indicating that Zuckerberg could be getting used to tough questions.

“No it’s not” Zuckerberg responded earning even more laughter from the President, before Trump turned and answered the reporters question.

TRUMP HOSTED TECH ELITES

Attending on Friday night were Apple’s Tim Cook, Microsoft’s Satya Nadella and Bill Gates, Google’s Sundar Pichai, OpenAI’s Sam Altman and Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg.

The dinner underscored the ongoing precariousness of President Trump’s relationship with top tech executives, many of whom were present at his inauguration. On the one hand, Trump has a long history of courting the attention of some of the richest people in the world; on the other hand, the companies he leads are trying to stay somewhat in the good graces of an unpredictable president.

Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Meta, who was seated to Trump’s right, mentioned $600 billion (a number Tim Cook then cited) and Sundar Pichai at Google said $250 billion.

“And Microsoft?” Trump asked. “Big number.”

CEO Satya Nadella said it was around $80 billion per year.

“Good,” said Trump. “Very good.”

A notable absence at the evening’s proceedings was Elon Musk, once an ally to Trump and appointed to run the Department of Government Efficiency. Earlier this year, Musk made a public distancing from Trump. Trump Jokes About Zuckerberg’s ‘Political Career’ at White House Dinner; Meta CEO Instantly Rejects.

Washington DC: Former U.S. President Donald Trump shared some laughs with Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg during a White House dinner on Thursday, jokingly referring to Zuckerberg’s impending political career. Trump quickly generated laughs throughout the room, and Zuckerberg rebutted, “No.”

The dinner organized by Trump and First Lady Melania Trump gathered many tech heavyweights including Apple’s Tim Cook, Microsoft’s Satya Nadella and Bill Gates, Google’s Sundar Pichai, and OpenAI’s Sam Altman.

Trump Claims, Zuckerberg Resists

The light exchange occurred after a reporter asked Zuckerberg if he had concerns over free speech in Britain. For a moment, Zuckerberg lost focus, and he stammered, “Sorry, I wasn’t, I wasn’t ready.”

The line brought laughter from Trump, who leaned over to Melania Trump and said the line again. “This is the beginning of your political career,” Trump joked, inferring that Zuckerberg might want to get ready for difficult questions.

Zuckerberg quickly retorted, “No it’s not,” eliciting another chuckle from Trump before he responded to the journalist’s question on his own.

The evening showcased Trump’s complicated relationship with the California elite of Silicon Valley. While Donald Trump has regularly disagreed with them on policy grounds, he has continued to woo the richest and most powerful business leaders in America.

At Trump’s right with Meta was Mark Zuckerberg, who mentioned the company’s $600 billion valuation. Tim Cook, CEO of Apple, offered the same figure. Sundar Pichai, CEO of Google, mentioned $250 billion. Satya Nadella, CEO of Microsoft, mentioned $80 billion a year, which was “very good,” according to Trump. Bill Gates, co-founder of Microsoft, was present. Sam Altman from OpenAI also participated, bringing attention to growing influence of AI in circles of U.S. policy.

Elon Musk Missing

One conspicuous absence was Elon Musk, a great friend of Trump, who was once appointed director of the Department of Government Efficiency. Musk, however, made sure to publicly distance himself from Trump earlier this year, emphasizing the relationship was fraught.

World News Highlight

In addition to showing Trump’s ability to attract the attention of major tech titans from across the globe, the Washington DC dinner also illustrated the delicate balancing acts technology companies like Apple, Microsoft, Google, Meta, and OpenAI must conduct when mixing with politics. Zuckerberg, however, made one thing clear—his future is technology, and not politics.