Donald Trump tells tech CEOs at White House dinner: 'Google had a very good day yesterday'; CEO Sundar Pichai replies

President Donald Trump hosted a dinner at White House where he invited tech CEOs. In a jovial moment, he congratulated Google CEO Sundar Pichai on the company's recent legal triumph. The exchange, which took place Thursday (September 4) evening, followed a landmark

antitrust ruling

that saw Google avoid a court-ordered breakup.“Well you had a very good day yesterday," Trump said to Pichai, "Google had a very good day yesterday. Do you want to talk about that big day you had yesterday?"The decision by US District Judge Amit Mehta on Tuesday (September 2) caused

Alphabet

's market cap to soar by $230 billion. The ruling was the culmination of a 2020 lawsuit brought by the

US Department of Justice

(DOJ), which had previously found Google held an illegal monopoly in internet search.

‘I'm glad it's over’: Pichai responds

Replying to the question, Pichai said, "I'm glad it's over," causing an eruption of laughter from the other table guests. He added that the company appreciated the “constructive dialogue” with the Trump administration.“It’s a long process. Appreciate that your administration had a constructive dialogue, and we were able to get it to some resolution,” Pichai added.Pichai then pivoted to a discussion on

artificial intelligence

(AI), commending the administration's “Winning the AI Race: America's AI Action Plan,” launched in July. “The AI moment is one of the most transformative moments any of us have ever seen or will see in our lifetimes, so making sure the US is at the forefront — and I think your administration is investing a lot,” Pichai said. “Already the AI action plan under your leadership I think is a great start, and we look forward to working together. And thanks for your leadership,” he added.

Trump says antitrust lawsuit was initiated by Biden administration

Trump also blamed the Biden administration for the lawsuit against Google.“Biden was the one who prosecuted that lawsuit, you know that right?” Trump said. It is to be noted that the DOJ had filed the case during Trump's first term.The exchange also occurred amid ongoing legal issues between the two parties. Google's online video platform, YouTube, is currently in discussions with Trump's lawyers over a lawsuit he filed more than four years ago, accusing the company of unlawful censorship. The lawsuit stems from the suspension of Trump's social media accounts following the January 6 2021 Capitol incident.