Trump's White House CEO dinner: Skip or miss by Elon Musk? What we know so far

SpaceX chief Elon Musk was missing from President Donald Trump’s grand dinner for tech titans — but the question lingers: did he skip it, or was he snubbed? The high-profile gathering, originally scheduled to be held outdoors at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida, had to be shifted indoors to the White House State Dining Room because of unfavorable weather.

Although Musk skipped the event, his biggest competitor in the artificial intelligence race, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, did attend.

The elite guest list featured some of the biggest names in technology: Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg, Apple’s Tim Cook, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, Google co-founder Sergey Brin, OpenAI co-founder Greg Brockman, Oracle CEO Safra Catz, Micron chief Sanjay Mehrotra, TIBCO Software chairman Vivek Ranadive, Palantir’s Shyam Sankar, Scale AI’s Alexandr Wang, Blue Origin CEO David Limp, and Shift4 Payments boss Jared Isaacman.

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Musk’s Response to the Buzz

As speculation grew about why he wasn’t present, Musk clarified that he “was invited, but unfortunately could not attend.” He further noted, “A representative of mine will be there.”

However, a White House official offered a conflicting account, claiming that Musk—who once advised Trump—had not been listed among the official invitees.

The real reason behind Elon Musk’s absence from Donald Trump’s high-profile dinner for tech leaders remains uncertain. His no-show has fuelled speculation over whether he chose to skip it or was excluded from the guest list.

What Has Musk Said About Biden?

Just days before the dinner, Musk revisited his long-running feud with Joe Biden. Sharing a video clip of a past interview, he criticised the former US President for snubbing Tesla at an EV summit despite its position as the top electric car maker. Musk also declared he would not support Biden in the upcoming election. On Thursday, responding to the resurfaced video, he remarked: “I try not to start fights, but I do finish them.”

Also Read: Elon Musk compares himself to Buddha as he prepares to leave DOGE: ‘Is Buddha needed for Buddhism?’

How Does Trump See Musk Now?

Speaking on the Scott Jennings Show earlier this week, Trump insisted Musk has “no choice” but to side with the Republican Party. While recalling their falling-out, Trump softened his stance, describing Musk as a “good man”. He added: “He got off the reservation, incorrectly, and that’s okay… he’s 80% super genius, and then 20% he’s got some problems.”

How Did the Trump-Musk Feud Begin?

The relationship between the two billionaires began warmly in July last year, when Musk endorsed Trump’s presidential bid after the attempted assassination in Pennsylvania. Musk invested millions in Trump’s campaign, was named an unpaid presidential adviser, and even co-chaired the new Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).

Their alliance broke down earlier this year after Musk criticised Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill”, warning it would raise the deficit and reverse DOGE’s work. Trump accused Musk of opposing the bill because it scrapped EV tax credits, hurting Tesla’s interests. The dispute led to a heated public exchange, Musk’s resignation from DOGE, and a cooling of what was once a close partnership.