Trump Awards National Science Medals to Tech Leaders at White House Summit

President Donald Trump presented the nation’s highest science and technology honors to several prominent tech executives, including Elon Musk and Satya Nadella, at a White House summit on Thursday.

At the event, titled Science: A New Golden Age Summit, the president awarded the National Medal of Science to Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, Google co-founder Sergey Brin, and AMD CEO Lisa Su. TechCrunch and International reported that Michael Dell of Dell Technologies and Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella received the National Medal of Technology and Innovation. Trump praised the recipients for pioneering an American future, stating that because of them, the country would always remain on top.

The awards follow substantial financial support for the administration. TechCrunch, citing The New Republic, reported that the honorees have collectively contributed nearly $6 billion to efforts tied to Trump. According to International, Michael and Susan Dell committed $6.25 billion to seed "Trump Accounts" for children's savings, while other awardees contributed to the president's inauguration fund and Republican causes. International also noted that Trump's financial disclosures from July showed he had recently traded shares in the companies led by several of the medal recipients.

OnlineKhabar English News reported that Trump described Elon Musk as a "modern-day Thomas Edison" and a "national treasure." The president credited Musk’s companies with reducing NASA's reliance on foreign nations for space flight and making electric vehicles commercially viable. This recognition marks a renewal of ties after a public fallout last year when Musk left the Department of Government Efficiency and criticized the administration’s spending legislation.

The summit occurred amid shifting regulatory actions. TechCrunch noted that Nadella received his medal shortly after the administration indefinitely suspended Microsoft from the H-1B program. Additionally, the event followed a White House lunch where Trump reportedly signed a "morally binding" document with tech leaders regarding the development of artificial intelligence as calls for a development slowdown increased.

Background

The summit brought together scientists and technology leaders to discuss artificial intelligence, scientific breakthroughs, and private-sector investment. According to International, Elon Musk was President Trump’s largest financial backer during the 2024 election cycle, contributing over $290 million.