Some of America’s most prominent technology and business leaders have secured invitations to President Trump’s upcoming White House state dinner honoring Chinese President Xi Jinping, as Washington prepares for a major round of U.S.-China talks.
Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman are among those scheduled to attend the Sept. 24 dinner, according to senior U.S. officials. Google CEO Sundar Pichai, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang and Dell Technologies CEO Michael Dell are also on the guest list.
Citigroup CEO Jane Fraser and Tim Cook, who recently stepped down as Apple CEO, are expected to attend as well. The collection of technology and financial leaders reflects the major economic issues expected to dominate discussions between President Trump and Xi.
The dinner will be hosted by President Trump and First Lady Melania Trump in the White House East Room. Xi and his wife, Peng Liyuan, will be the guests of honor, and both Trump and Xi are expected to deliver remarks during the evening.
Demand for invitations has been exceptionally high because the East Room has limited seating. President Trump said thousands of people would like to attend and acknowledged that he has been forced to turn down some friends because there simply is not enough room.
The state dinner will be one of the centerpieces of Xi’s first official state visit to the United States in more than a decade. President Trump plans to personally greet the Chinese leader when he arrives at Joint Base Andrews, an unusual presidential gesture that underscores the significance being placed on the visit.
The following day, President Trump and the first lady will formally welcome Xi and Peng at the White House. Trump and Xi are also scheduled to participate in a military review before holding private talks on some of the most consequential issues affecting relations between the world’s two largest economies.
Artificial intelligence is expected to be a significant part of those discussions, making the presence of executives including Altman, Huang, Musk and Pichai particularly notable. U.S. officials have also identified trade, tariffs, export controls and supplies of rare-earth minerals as important topics for the summit.
Several invited executives already have experience attending high-level events involving both leaders. Musk, Huang, Cook and Fraser joined President Trump during his visit to Beijing earlier this year and attended a banquet hosted by Xi at the Great Hall of the People.
The Trump administration has indicated that Washington and Beijing could discuss limited tariff relief involving certain nonstrategic goods. Officials have also said they expect negotiations over China’s supply of rare-earth minerals, which are essential for products ranging from smartphones to advanced military equipment.
Xi’s visit will combine formal diplomacy with opportunities for American business leaders to interact with senior officials from both countries. With some of the biggest names in technology gathering at the White House, the state dinner is shaping up to be one of the highest-profile events of President Trump’s second term.
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