Mark Zuckerberg gets caught on a 'hot mic' at Donald Trump's dinner party, saying …

Meta

CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced a massive $600 billion investment in the US during his latest White House dinner with President Donald Trump. However, soon after this announcement, he was caught on a hot mic admitting that he wasn’t sure if the number was accurate. The exchange occurred during a high-profile dinner hosted by Trump, who was seated between Zuckerberg and First Lady Melania Trump directly about Meta’s investment plans. Replying to this Zuckerberg said: “Oh gosh, I think it's probably gonna be something like... I don't know, at least 600 billion dollars through 2028."Responding to that Trump noted: “That's a lot. Thank you, Mark, great to have you,” prompting laughter from the others seated in White House’s State Dining Room..Soon after making the announcement, Zuckerberg leaned in and apologised to Trump, saying, “Sorry, I wasn't ready. I wasn't sure what number you wanted to go with,” triggering a smile from the President.

The clip quickly spread online, with users labeling it “awkward” and “unprepared,” driving memes and criticism across social platforms. The video was shared by an X user who wrote: “Mark Zuckerberg gets caught on a hot mic admitting he is totally making up Meta’s U.S. investment numbers based on whatever Trump wants to hear” Take a look at the video here:

Other tech leaders who joined Trump at the White House dinner

Apart from Zuckerberg, the dinner, which has been described by Trump as a meeting of a “high IQ group,” brought together Google CEO Sundar Pichai, Apple CEO

Tim Cook

, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, OpenAI’s Sam Altman, and Oracle’s Safra Catz. Trump referred to the executives as “the most brilliant people,” adding that they are “leading a revolution in business.”Pichai confirmed that Google would invest $250 billion in the US over the next two years, while Nadella stated that Microsoft is investing $75–80 billion annually. Their confident remarks contrasted with Zuckerberg’s brief hesitation. Also attending were Google co-founder Sergey Brin and IBM CEO Arvind Krishna. Elon Musk did not attend, saying he had been invited but sent a representative due to scheduling conflicts.The evening included several acknowledgments of Trump. Altman said: “Thank you for being such a pro-business, pro-innovation president. It’s a refreshing change.” Cook credited him for “setting the tone” for investment in US manufacturing, while Nadella pointed to the “trust the world has in American technology” under his policies. Bill Gates, seated next to First Lady Melania Trump, said artificial intelligence should also benefit “the poorest outside the US, as well as our great citizens.”The dinner followed a White House task force session on AI education led by Melania Trump, who called for “watchful guidance” in the sector’s growth. Earlier that day, Senator Josh Hawley criticised Meta and ChatGPT in a speech, cautioning against unchecked AI expansion.