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The incident occurred during a dinner Trump hosted with tech leaders, where a reporter asked Zuckerberg whether he was concerned about the state of free speech in Britain.
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and US President Donald Trump.(Photo: AP)
New Delhi,UPDATED: Sep 5, 2025 07:11 IST
President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump hosted some of America’s most powerful tech leaders at the White House Thursday night. At dinner, Trump quipped about Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s "political career," prompting an immediate and firm "no" from Zuckerberg.
The incident occurred during a dinner Trump hosted with tech leaders, where a reporter asked Zuckerberg whether he was concerned about the state of free speech in Britain. Caught off guard, Zuckerberg muttered, "Sorry, I wasn’t ready," before trailing off as journalists exited the room.
The comment drew laughter from Trump, who leaned over and repeated it to First Lady Melania Trump, seated nearby.
"This is the beginning of your political career," Trump teased, suggesting Zuckerberg might have to get used to tough questions.
TRUMP: “This is the beginning of your political career.”
ZUCKERBERG: “No, it’s not.”
At tonight’s White House dinner for tech leaders, I asked President Trump and META CEO Mark Zuckerberg about the UK’s crackdown on freedom of speech online. @NEWSMAX pic.twitter.com/dKSpn6TV8i— Mike Carter (@MikeCarterTV) September 5, 2025
"No it’s not," Zuckerberg shot back, earning another chuckle from the president before Trump went on to answer the reporter’s query himself.
TRUMP WELCOMES TECH ELITES
Apple’s Tim Cook, Microsoft’s Satya Nadella and Bill Gates, Google’s Sundar Pichai, OpenAI’s Sam Altman, and Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg were all in attendance.
The dinner highlighted the ongoing, delicate relationship between President Trump and leading tech executives, many of whom attended his inauguration. Trump has long welcomed attention from some of the world’s wealthiest business leaders, while the companies aim to maintain favour with the unpredictable president.
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, seated to Trump’s right, cited $600 billion, a figure echoed by Apple’s Tim Cook. Google’s Sundar Pichai offered $250 billion.
"What about Microsoft?" Trump asked. "That’s a big number."
CEO Satya Nadella responded that it was around $80 billion per year.
"Good," Trump said. "Very good."
Notably missing from the evening was Elon Musk, once a close Trump ally and former appointee to lead the Department of Government Efficiency. Musk publicly distanced himself from the president earlier this year.
- Ends
With inputs from agencies
Published By:
Satyam Singh
Published On:
Sep 5, 2025
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