Tech moguls gathered at the White House this week for a high-profile dinner, but it was Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg who ended up in the headlines for all the wrong reasons.
During the event, the billionaire was caught on a hot mic admitting to former President Donald Trump that he had no idea how to answer a question—a moment that left both the president and attendees chuckling.
The gathering included some of the biggest names in tech, from Apple’s Tim Cook and Microsoft founder Bill Gates to Google’s Sergey Brin and Sundar Pichai, as well as OpenAI founder Sam Altman.
Awkward Exchange Over U.S. Investment Plans
The moment came when Trump asked Zuckerberg how much Meta planned to invest in the U.S. over the coming years.
“Oh gosh, um, I think it’s probably gonna be, something like, I don’t know, at least $600 billion through ’28, in the U.S., yeah,” Zuckerberg responded hesitantly.
Trump commented that it was a lot of money, and Zuckerberg admitted, “Yeah, no, it’s significant.”
Later, he was heard apologizing to Trump and admitting he hadn’t been ready for the question.
Trump laughed and told First Lady Melania that Zuckerberg clearly wasn’t prepared.
Free Speech Questions Add to the Awkwardness
Zuckerberg’s stumble wasn’t limited to investment figures.
He also admitted he hadn’t been paying attention when asked about free speech legislation in the U.K. Trump quipped that it might mark “the beginning” of Zuckerberg’s political career, which the CEO laughed off.
Meanwhile, other tech leaders handled the questions with more confidence.
Pichai said Google plans to invest $250 billion in the U.S., while Cook confirmed Apple is targeting a $600 billion investment.
Cook even thanked Trump for setting a positive tone that allows major U.S. manufacturing to move forward.
A Star-Studded Silicon Valley Lineup
The event was a who’s who of the tech world, drawing 13 billionaires and other top executives to the State Dining Room.
Originally intended to debut the renovated Rose Garden, the dinner was moved indoors due to rain.
Earlier in the day, a summit hosted by the First Lady focused on artificial intelligence in education.
Trump began the dinner by praising the attendees’ intelligence, calling it “definitely a high IQ group,” and boasted about facilitating permits and resources for their projects.
Unfiltered Praise for the Former President
Throughout the evening, tech leaders offered unfiltered praise for Trump, even those who had previously criticized him.
Gates thanked the former president for collaborating with the tech industry, while Altman, who once compared Trump to Adolf Hitler, called him “pro-business” and “pro-innovation.”
Altman added, “I think it’s going to set us up for a long period of leading the world, and that wouldn’t be happening without your leadership.”
Notably absent from the event was Elon Musk, Trump’s former head of the Department of Government Efficiency, colloquially known as the “First Buddy.”
Meta Responds to the Hot Mic
Daily Mail reached out to Meta for comment on Zuckerberg’s hot mic remarks.
The CEO’s gaffe has sparked a mix of humor and surprise, but it didn’t overshadow the broader theme of the dinner: encouraging U.S. investment and celebrating collaboration between the government and Silicon Valley’s top innovators.