Gage Skidmore from Peoria, AZ, United States of America
Trump to award science and tech medals to Musk, Dell, Nadella at White House summit
Elon Musk, Sergey Brin, Jensen Huang, Lisa Su, Michael Dell and Satya Nadella are slated for national honors at the Science: A New Golden Age Summit
The White House is about to look a lot like a Silicon Valley earnings call. President Donald Trump is slated to present the nation’s top science and technology honors to a lineup of tech executives on October 8, 2026.
The roster reads like the top holdings of a tech index fund. It includes Elon Musk, Sergey Brin, Jensen Huang, Lisa Su, Michael Dell and Satya Nadella.
Who is getting what
Four names are set to receive the National Medal of Science. They are Musk of Tesla and SpaceX, Google co-founder Brin, Nvidia CEO Huang and AMD CEO Su.
Two others are lined up for the National Medal of Technology and Innovation. Those go to Dell Technologies CEO Michael Dell and Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella.
The ceremony will take place at the White House during an event branded the “Science: A New Golden Age Summit.”
This marks the first time Trump has personally handed out these honors during his time in office, across both administrations.
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The National Medal of Science dates to 1959 and stands as the highest honor the US gives to scientists and engineers.
The summit around the medals
Energy Secretary Chris Wright and NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman are both scheduled to speak.
The event is built around a broader message on artificial intelligence and innovation. The stated aim is to reinforce US leadership in science and technology.
The administration is also using the stage to signal its intent on research policy. That includes revitalizing federal research funding and pushing for more private-sector investment in scientific work.
The choice of honorees maps neatly onto that agenda. Nvidia and AMD make the chips that power AI systems. Microsoft and Google sit at the center of the AI software race, and Dell sells the hardware that fills data centers.
The politics of the guest list
Musk put more than $290 million behind Trump’s 2024 campaign. He later served as a special government employee in the administration, then came a falling out, complete with public disputes. Now he is back on the White House stage collecting a medal.
Brin has previously contributed to Republican campaigns, which fits a recurring pattern of tech leaders building ties with the current administration.