Trump's state dinner for Xi features sea bass and a long list of tech titans

President Donald Trump hosted a Thursday night state dinner honoring China’s leader Xi Jinping, using a guest list packed with technology executives to underline the event’s diplomatic messaging. The meal’s glamor—low East Room lighting and red-and-gold place settings—coincided with Trump’s push to impress Xi during Xi’s three-day Washington visit, including a tour of Marine One and a new helipad built for it. During business hours, the two leaders discussed tensions over Taiwan, trade and artificial intelligence, while a White House First Amendment fight over press access continued in parallel. Attendees included OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang and LVMH chief Bernard Arnault, among others.