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Trump joined by dozens of CEOs during his Middle East trip

U.S. President Donald Trump and Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg attend a signing ceremony with Qatar’s Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani (not pictured), in Doha, Qatar, May 14, 2025.
Brian Snyder | Reuters
  • President Trump brought more than 30 leaders of top American companies with him to a lunch in Saudi Arabia during his high-stakes Middle East tour.
  • The list includes executives like IBM's Arvind Krishna, Amazon's Andy Jassy and Palantir's Alex Karp.
  • Oil-rich Gulf countries like Saudi Arabia are home to some of the world's most significant investors, both individuals and through state-sponsored funds.

More than 30 business leaders representing America's top companies joined President Donald Trump on Tuesday for a during the president's high-stakes Middle East tour.

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A list provided by the White House includes executives from big banks, AI companies, defense contractors and retail giants. It also paints a larger picture of executives and companies that have cultivated ties with the second Trump administration.

The impetus to be there is simple: Invitations to attend U.S. presidential events overseas are among the most prestigious in politics and in business. They offer executives a chance to network with Saudi investors, build relationships and show patriotic support for American industry.

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In some ways, the stakes are higher this year than they might have been in the past. Many of the companies are facing challenges and uncertainty caused by Trump's tariff and trade policies.

Many corporate leaders are taking every available chance to further joint goals and interests with famously transactional president.

The lunch was part of a packed schedule for the president, who is currently touring the Middle East. In a speech on Tuesday, Trump after the White House announced it had secured $600 billion in investments from the kingdom.

The lunch was hosted by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman at the Saudi royal court in Riyadh. Many of the companies represented also contributed to Trump's , which raised a record-breaking $239 million, much of which is expected to be spent on Trump's presidential library project.

Some of the executives in attendance have already announced deals secured during the trip.

Here are some of the notable attendees.

Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla and SpaceX

Tesla CEO Elon Musk reacts ahead of a state dinner hosted by Qatar's Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani during a visit by U.S. President Donald Trump, at Lusail Palace in Lusail, Qatar, May 14, 2025.
Brian Snyder | Reuters
Tesla CEO Elon Musk reacts ahead of a state dinner hosted by Qatar's Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani during a visit by U.S. President Donald Trump, at Lusail Palace in Lusail, Qatar, May 14, 2025.

The and SpaceX CEO has worked hand-in-glove with Trump throughout his second term, overseeing the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) that has reduced the federal workforce by tens of thousands. Since Trump entered office, regulatory problems at Musk's companies have also . The Justice Department dropped a case against SpaceX in February, and Trump fired a Department of Agriculture inspector general in January who had launched an investigation into another Musk company,.

During the investment forum on Tuesday, Musk announced that Saudi Arabia has satellites, made by SpaceX, for aviation and maritime use in the region.

Alex Karp, CEO of Palantir

Shares of the defense-heavy AI company have soared 45% this year, while many of its tech counterparts have been sinking. The pop is to Trump's , which have created opportunities for the company's AI tools to fill in the gaps at agencies that now have fewer employees.

Karp also donated $1 million to Trump's inauguration fund.

Kelly Ortberg, CEO of Boeing

U.S. President Donald Trump speaks with Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg and Qatar's Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani ahead of a state dinner at Lusail Palace in Lusail, Qatar, May 14, 2025.
Brian Snyder | Reuters
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks with Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg and Qatar's Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani ahead of a state dinner at Lusail Palace in Lusail, Qatar, May 14, 2025.

's Ortberg attended the Tuesday lunch a day before White House that the company secured its "largest-ever" aircraft deal with Qatar Airways.

Boeing is attempting to make a comeback after a rocky past year, Wednesday that its deliveries nearly doubled in April.

Jensen Huang, CEO of Nvidia

's Huang announced Tuesday that more than 18,000 of its latest artificial intelligence chips to the Saudi company Humain.

"It is an incredible vision, indeed, that Saudi Arabia should build the AI infrastructure of your nation so that you could participate and help shape the future of this incredibly transformative technology," Huang said. Like several other companies whose executives traveled to the region this week, Nvidia gave $1 million to Trump's inauguration fund.

Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman looks on as he visits Riyadh with U.S. President Donald Trump and Tesla CEO Elon Musk (both not pictured), in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, May 13, 2025.
Brian Snyder | Reuters
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman looks on as he visits Riyadh with U.S. President Donald Trump and Tesla CEO Elon Musk (both not pictured), in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, May 13, 2025.

OpenAI's Altman donated $1 million to the Trump inauguration fund and in January, he on X, "watching @potus more carefully recently has really changed my perspective on him."

Altman is now working on , a collaboration with the government to build artificial intelligence infrastructure.

Andy Jassy, CEO of Amazon

's Jassy has previously spoken about the impact of Trump's tariffs on the retail sector and consumers more broadly, that the company was still digesting the impact of the tariffs and sellers may have to "pass that cost on" to consumers.

Larry Fink, CEO of BlackRock

's Fink was seen greeting the Saudi Crown Prince alongside Trump on Tuesday. BlackRock donated $1 million to Trump's inauguration fund. But the company gained real favor with the White House in March, when it agreed to on either end of the Panama Canal from a Hong Kong-based company. That deal is currently on ice amid global trade tensions.

Ruth Porat, president and CIO of Alphabet

Alphabet Chief Investment Officer Ruth Porat (L) and Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang (R) wait to meet the Saudi Crown Prince at the Royal Court in Riyadh on May 13, 2025.
Brendan Smialowski | Afp | Getty Images
Alphabet Chief Investment Officer Ruth Porat (L) and Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang (R) wait to meet the Saudi Crown Prince at the Royal Court in Riyadh on May 13, 2025.

was represented at the lunch by Porat. The tech giant was part of the announced Tuesday, with Google contributing to a total of $80 billion to invest in both the U.S. and Saudi Arabia.

Like several other attendees, Google gave to Trump's inauguration fund.

Arvind Krishna, CEO of IBM

has been focused on boosting its American jobs and production, with Krishna two weeks ago that the company is investing $150 billion in the U.S. over the next five years. The new investment followed Trump's massive tariff announcements last month. IBM gave $750,000 to Trump's inauguration fund.

James Quincey, CEO of Coca-Cola

's Quincey represents one of the most consumer-facing companies on the front lines of Trump's tariff wars. On a February , Quincey said Coca-Cola was considering shifting more of its packaging from aluminum to plastic bottles due to Trump's aluminum tariffs. Coca-Cola donated $250,000 to Trump's inaugural fund, as well as donating some beverages.

Dara Khosrowshahi, CEO of Uber

From (L-R): Jerry Inzerillo Group Chief Executive Officer of Diriyah Gate Company Limited, Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi, Red Sea Project CEO John Pagano, and Riyadh Air CEO Tony Douglas attend a conference during the Saudi-US investment forum in Riyadh on May 13, 2025.
Fayez Nureldine | Afp | Getty Images
From (L-R): Jerry Inzerillo Group Chief Executive Officer of Diriyah Gate Company Limited, Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi, Red Sea Project CEO John Pagano, and Riyadh Air CEO Tony Douglas attend a conference during the Saudi-US investment forum in Riyadh on May 13, 2025.

's Khosrowshahi donated $1 million to Trump's inauguration fund. Despite economic uncertainty, the company strong first quarter earnings that beat Wall Street expectations.

William Oplinger, CEO of Alcoa

's Oplinger joined other top executives at the lunch. The company is among the top hardest hit by Trump's aluminum tariffs, a $90 million tariff hit in the second quarter.

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