Elon Musk Snubbed from Trump’s Exclusive Rose Garden Dinner
UPDATE: In a surprising turn of events, tech mogul Elon Musk has been left off the guest list for President Donald Trump‘s exclusive Rose Garden dinner scheduled for this evening. The event, featuring over 20 business and tech leaders, marks Trump’s first official gathering in the newly renovated Rose Garden.
This high-profile dinner is set to include influential figures such as Apple CEO Tim Cook, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman. The absence of Musk, the CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, is particularly notable, especially considering his past support for the Trump administration.
The Rose Garden event will take place after a gathering hosted by First Lady Melania Trump focused on artificial intelligence. A White House spokesperson confirmed the guest list to Business Insider, which was first reported by The Hill. Other attendees include Google CEO Sundar Pichai, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, and AMD CEO Lisa Su.
Musk’s absence from such a significant gathering highlights a growing distance between him and Trump. This marks yet another occasion where Musk has been snubbed from a major White House event. In August 2021, Musk was also notably excluded from a summit on electric vehicles hosted by then-President Joe Biden, a slight he has not forgotten.
Despite Musk’s previous endorsement of Trump and substantial financial contributions to his campaign, their relationship has soured in recent months, leading to public disagreements and insults exchanged between the two. Earlier this week, Trump remarked that Musk is “80% super genius” but has “some problems.”
While the official reason for Musk’s exclusion from tonight’s event remains unclear, tech leaders have been actively engaging with the administration throughout Trump’s presidency, with many forming strategic partnerships and making significant donations.
As the evening unfolds in the Rose Garden, observers will be keenly watching for any reactions from Musk, who has been busy navigating the challenges of Silicon Valley’s competitive landscape.
“I know he’s extremely busy trying to build his businesses and hire talent,”
said Joe Lonsdale, a cofounder of Palantir, in response to reports of Musk’s snubbing.
With the landscape of tech and politics shifting rapidly, this incident underscores the intricate relationships between power players in Silicon Valley and Washington, D.C. The fallout from tonight’s dinner may have lasting implications for Musk and his endeavors.
Stay tuned for more updates as this story develops.
