Trump-Xi state dinner: From Elon Musk to Tim Cook, who attended the White House banquet?

U.S. President Donald Trump hosted Chinese President Xi Jinping for a lavish state dinner at the White House on Thursday (September 25, 2026), following a day of pomp and ceremony that belied deep tensions between the rival superpowers.Mr. Trump and First Lady Melania Trump welcomed Mr. Xi and his wife, Peng Liyuan. He presented Mr. Xi with a custom-made statue of a bald eagle, the national symbol of the United States. Several U.S. technology industry leaders attended the banquet, including Tesla CEO Elon Musk, Apple CEO Tim Cook, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, underscoring the importance of trade and artificial intelligence during Mr. Xi’s visit.Tech titans attend dinnerThe dinner also drew some of the biggest names in the technology industry, including Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, Google and Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai, OpenAI president and co-founder Greg Brockman, and Dell Technologies chairman and CEO Michael Dell.Other attendees included OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, who signed autographs on arriving at the White House, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang and Bernard Arnault, chairman and CEO of French luxury goods group LVMH.Mr. Xi was seated with Mr. Trump at a table that included Nvidia CEO Huang, whose company has been affected by U.S. restrictions on exports of advanced semiconductors to China. Apple CEO Tim Cook and AMD CEO Lisa Su were also seated at the table.Other official guestsAmong the U.S. officials at the dinner were Vice-President J.D. Vance and Second Lady Usha Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and his wife, White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, U.S. Ambassador to China David Perdue and his wife, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, House Speaker Mike Johnson, Federal Reserve Chairman Kevin Warsh, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff, White House Deputy Chiefs of Staff Stephen Miller and Dan Scavino, Attorney General Todd Blanche, Energy Secretary Chris Wright, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Dan Caine, and Director of National Intelligence Jay Clayton.Trump’s family members, including Ivanka Trump, attended the event.The Chinese delegation included Cai Qi, a member of the Politburo Standing Committee; Foreign Minister Wang Yi, Vice-Premier He Lifeng, Zheng Shanjie, Chairman of the National Development and Reform Commission, Commerce Minister Wang Wentao, Chinese Ambassador to the U.S. Xie Feng, Tang Fangyu, Director of the Central Policy Research Office, Finance Minister Lan Fo’an, Zhou Hongxu, Director of the Central Security Bureau, and Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning.An evening of pomp and grandeurAttendees were entertained by Christopher Macchio, a classically trained tenor who performed at the 2025 presidential inauguration. The evening also featured performances by military musicians from the U.S. Marine Corps and the U.S. Army, including “The President’s Own” U.S. Marine Band, “The Commandant’s Own” U.S. Marine Drum and Bugle Corps, the U.S. Army Chorus and the U.S. Army Strings.The décor for the dinner prominently featured red, considered an auspicious colour in Chinese culture. The tables also featured vermeil from the White House collection and the Reagan State Service, bringing together elements of Chinese artistry and American tradition within the White House setting.Exclusive three-course menuGuests were served a three-course meal featuring yellow squash velouté, sesame-crusted sea bass and vanilla crémeux accompanied by honey ice cream.The office of First Lady Melania Trump described the menu as showcasing “American ingredients with subtle Chinese influence”. The first course featured yellow squash velouté with wild mushrooms, fresh herbs, crispy pancetta and scallion oil.The main course comprised sesame-crusted sea bass with braised baby bok choy, roasted garden eggplant and sauce verte. Dessert featured vanilla crémeux with sour cherry confit and walnut frangipane, along with ice cream made with honey from the White House.