Tonight, Trump is hosting a dinner for American tech giants, including Cook, Zuckerberg, and Altman, but Musk is notably absent

A year ago, nearly $300 million was bet on Trump, and tonight the White House Rose Garden is filled with distinguished guests, gathering American tech giants, but Musk is not on the list.

On Thursday evening local time, Trump will host a dinner for tech leaders in the White House Rose Garden, with 24 tech and business leaders invited, including Apple CEO Tim Cook, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, and Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates.

Musk's absence is particularly noteworthy. Previously, Musk and Trump had fierce exchanges over the "Big Beautiful" plan, government subsidies, and high-level personnel appointments, leading to Tesla's market value evaporating by more than $150 billion in a single day. Trump even publicly threatened to terminate government contracts with Musk's companies, further pressuring market sentiment.

Rose Garden Dinner: Tech Giants Gather, Musk's Unexpected Absence

The guest list for the dinner includes Apple CEO Tim Cook, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, and Google CEO Sundar Pichai, among other core figures in the U.S. tech and AI sectors.

This event is not only the first appearance of the Rose Garden after its renovation but also an important signal of the Trump administration's attempt to reshape its relationship with the tech industry.

Trump has completely paved the lawn of the White House Rose Garden with stone, setting up tables, chairs, and umbrellas, aiming to replicate the outdoor dining environment of his Florida Mar-a-Lago club. White House spokesperson Davis Ingle referred to it as the "Rose Garden Club," stating that the president looks forward to "hosting this dinner and many more in this beautiful Rose Garden terrace." The president anticipates dining with top business, political, and tech leaders.

Before the dinner, some guests will also participate in an AI education working group meeting hosted by the First Lady, focusing on promoting AI education among American youth.

"Trump & Musk Fall Out," Policy Differences and Personnel Conflicts Intensify Tensions

The conflict between Musk and Trump has recently become fully public. According to Wall Street Journal, Musk previously directly criticized the "Big Beautiful" plan promoted by Trump on social media, condemning its cuts to electric vehicle incentives while retaining subsidies for oil and gas, calling for a deficit reduction plan. Trump publicly expressed his "disappointment" with Musk and threatened to terminate government contracts with his companies.

The conflict between the two also involves high-level personnel appointments. Jared Isaacman, whom Musk supported, was initially nominated to be NASA Administrator, but Trump ultimately withdrew that nomination. This move is seen as one of the triggers for their falling out. Musk expressed strong dissatisfaction, believing the White House should prioritize business interests over political differences. Musk subsequently announced that SpaceX would terminate some government missions and predicted that Trump's tariff policies would lead to a recession in the U.S. economy.

The public conflict between Musk and Trump directly affects the market performance of Tesla and related tech sectors. Tesla's stock price has significantly declined, reflecting investors' concerns about changes in the policy environment. Trump's threat to terminate government contracts has raised doubts in the market about the future of government orders for Tesla and SpaceX