The who’s who of Silicon Valley converged at the White House for a televised dinner with Donald Trump, where the latter jammed up Meta mogul Mark Zuckerberg with a fairly simple question.
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Also in on the pomp and circumstance were Apple CEO Tim Cook, Microsoft mogul Bill Gates, Google founder Sergey Brin, Google CEO Sundar Pichai, and OpenAI’s Sam Altman, among others.
Highlights
- Donald Trump asked Mark Zuckerberg how much he planned to invest in the U.S. over the next few years.
- Zuckerberg struggled to give a precise answer, apologizing for not knowing what to say.
- Trump previously warned Zuckerberg to stay out of politics and has claimed he conspired against him in 2020.
On the president’s left sat his wife, Melania, while Zuckerberg had the honor of being number 47’s right hand, a position that would become a hot seat during the evening.
Donald Trump asked how much Mark Zuckerberg intended to invest in the country
Image credits: zuck
“How much are you spending over the next few years?” came the question that quickly turned awkward.
“Oh gosh,” came Zuckerberg’s answer as he tried to keep his composure.
“I think it’s probably gonna be something like,” and then shaking his head, “I don’t know…. At least…600 billion dollars… through… 2028 in the US,” he stated with an inference on the last syllables, making it sound more like a question than a statement.
Image credits: White House / Joyce N. Boghosian
In response, Trump observed it was a lot of money, and Zuckerberg responded with: “Yeah, no, it’s significant.”
“Thank you, Mark,” Trump replied. “Thanks a lot, good to have you.”
Trump pulled away from the Meta founder, forcing him to speak loud enough for the microphone to catch his words
The exchange between the two men would probably have gone unnoticed, but Zuckerberg, appearing to have overthought it, could later be heard saying to Trump: “I wasn’t sure what number you wanted to go with.”
Image credits: Alex Wong / Getty
Leading up to the apology, the Meta chief could be seen leaning in toward the president before the latter pulled away.
Yet Zuckerberg persisted and was forced to speak louder, resulting in the microphone catching his words.
Trump later chuckled and shared the joke with his wife, Melania, when he told her Zuckerberg was “not prepared.”
Trump previously warned Zuckerberg to stay out of politics
Image credits: Alex Wong / Getty
Trump later joked that the question was the start of the mogul’s political career, which the latter jokingly brushed aside.
It must be noted, however, that Trump previously telegraphed to Zuckerberg that he should keep his distance from politics.
In his 2024 book Save America, the president claimed that the Facebook founder conspired against him in the 2020 election and that he would spend the rest of his life in prison if he tried it again.
Trump claimed that the tech mogul would visit him at the White House while conspiring against him
Image credits: Alex Wong / Getty
Trump claimed that Zuckerberg “would come to the Oval Office to see me.”
“He would bring his very nice wife to dinners, be as nice as anyone could be, while always plotting to install shameful Lock Boxes in a true PLOT AGAINST THE PRESIDENT.
“We are watching him closely, and if he does anything illegal this time he will spend the rest of his life in prison — as will others who cheat in the 2024 Presidential Election,” Trump wrote (via Politico).
Zuckerberg was one of the first to visit the president after he won the last election
Image credits: White House / Joyce N. Boghosian
Perhaps in a bid to change this impression when Trump won the 2024 election, Zuckerberg was one of the first to court him.
On November 28, 2024, Forbes reported Stephen Miller saying that Zuckerberg had “made it clear that he wants to support the national renewal of America under Trump’s leadership.”
The New York Times also weighed in around the time, reporting on his visit to Mar-a-Lago, observing that he and Trump “largely exchanged pleasantries.”
Social media is marveling at the incident
Image credits: zuck
Netizens have since weighed in on the faux pas, with one saying: “I’m surprised Trump didn’t scratch him behind the ears or at least pat him on the head.”
“Sorry puppet master, I wasn’t sure what you wanted me to say!” echoed another.
Other netizens took issue with the figure Zuckerberg spat out, claiming it did not sound like $6 billion.
Image credits: zuck
“I heard it was really 100 cajillion…” wrote one. “That is funny,” wrote another. “I heard it really was Eleventy Billion!!!”
Netizens see it as a performance for the cameras
