Trump hosts Xi Jinping for state dinner as Musk, Bezos and other Silicon Valley elite descend on White House

President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump hosted Xi Jinping and his wife, Peng Liyuan, for the September 24 state dinner at the White House, capping a day of ceremonies and talks between the two leaders. The dinner brought senior US and Chinese officials together with an unusually high-powered contingent from American technology, finance and business. Ahead of the visit, Trump said thousands of people wanted invitations and described securing a place at the dinner as a difficult proposition.

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg were photographed talking during the state dinner. They were just two members of an extraordinary technology contingent. The gathering came against a particularly relevant backdrop: artificial intelligence was among the issues US officials said would feature in discussions surrounding Xi's visit.

Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez Bezos were among the prominent guests arriving for the White House dinner. Bezos was photographed mingling outside the North Portico ahead of the event, with OpenAI president Greg Brockman and US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer among those nearby.

Elon Musk was captured raising a glass during the evening, giving photographers a candid shot of one of the most recognizable guests inside the dinner. The Tesla and SpaceX chief was among the technology figures included on the White House guest list. Reuters photographs from the evening also captured Musk alongside Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Musk's attendance added yet another heavyweight to a room already packed with leaders whose businesses have significant interests in technology, AI and global supply chains.

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella arrived in black tie for the dinner, joining fellow technology executives at the White House. Nadella's presence was particularly relevant given Microsoft's major role in artificial intelligence. AI was among the subjects surrounding the Trump-Xi talks, alongside trade and the flow of rare-earth materials that are crucial to technology manufacturing. The Microsoft chief joined Musk, Altman, Zuckerberg, CEO of Google Sundar Pichai, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang and other prominent figures on the guest list.

Tim Cook was photographed arriving in a black tuxedo, rounding out a gallery dominated by some of America's most recognizable technology leaders. Cook's attendance also carried an obvious US-China business dimension. Apple has extensive manufacturing and supply-chain ties to China, making the company's leadership particularly relevant at an event held during a visit centered partly on economic relations.