Trump Hosts Tech Leaders in Newly Renovated Rose Garden

On Thursday, President Trump will welcome 20 prominent figures from the technology and business sectors to the newly renovated White House Rose Garden. Notable attendees include Meta founder Mark Zuckerberg, Apple CEO Tim Cook, Microsoft founder Bill Gates, and OpenAI founder Sam Altman, as reported by Hill.

This gathering will follow a White House event focused on AI, hosted by First Lady Melania Trump, attended by the tech CEOs and leaders.

“The White House Rose Garden Club is the most sought-after venue in Washington—maybe even the world,” a source relayed, noting the President’s eagerness to host business and tech leaders in this beautifully revamped space.

Other notable attendees include Google founders Sergey Brin and Sundar Pichai, Oracle’s CEO Safra Catz, Blue Origin’s David Limp, and Micron Technology’s Sanjay Mehrotra, among others.

The group also features Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, Tibco founder Vivek Ranadive, Palantir’s Chief Technology Officer Shyam Sankar, and Scale.ai founder Alexandr Wang.

David Sachs, a venture capitalist focused on AI and cryptocurrency, is expected to be present, alongside Shift4 CEO Jared Isaacman, who was previously nominated to lead NASA before Trump retracted his appointment.

Interestingly, Tesla CEO and SpaceX founder Elon Musk, who briefly served as a special government employee and top Trump advisor, is not on the guest list.

Since Trump’s reelection in 2024, many tech leaders have shown interest in forming closer ties with his administration, particularly as their businesses focus on policies that align with Trump’s stance against the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives. Zuckerberg, Pichai, and Altman were present at Trump’s inauguration, and Cook made a visit to announce investments in U.S. manufacturing.

Additional business leaders attending include CSBIO founder Jason Chang, Dompé Pharma CEO Nathalie Dompé, Figma founder Dylan Field, and several others, including figures from Groq, Social Capital, Zynga, and AMD.

The Rose Garden underwent significant renovations, completed in early August, featuring patio tables and umbrellas reminiscent of those at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago property in Florida.

This venue has traditionally been a site for presidential events, and Trump’s upcoming occasion will showcase a stone patio rather than the usual grass.

The White House hinted on August 19 that the Rose Garden was ready for this event. Press chief Karoline Leavitt took reporters on a tour, sharing that the President was testing audio equipment for what he hopes to make “the best event in White House history.”

Leavitt mentioned plans for future gatherings will happen “as soon as possible,” with Trump reportedly enjoying music through new speakers regularly.

Having spent decades in real estate prior to his presidency, Trump dedicated the early months of his second term to White House renovations.

In addition to the Rose Garden, he has revamped the Oval Office, installing new portraits, busts, and gold trim, as well as artwork that features himself, including a piece that illustrates his 2024 assassination attempt.

Last month, the White House also revealed plans for a $200 million ballroom adjacent to the East Wing.