Trump Laughing Over $600-Billion Meta US Investment: ‘Wasn’t Sure What Number You Wanted’, Says Zuckerberg

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg revealed his company’s plans to invest $600 billion in the United States at the White House dinner with President Donald Trump last week. However, he was caught on a hot mic admitting ‘he wasn’t sure of the figure’.

“I think it’s probably going to be something like...I don't know, at least 600 billion dollars through 2028,” Zuckerberg said, describing the scope of Meta’s plans.

“That’s a lot,” Trump laughed in response, looking both pleased and amused. He thanked Zuckerberg and said, “Great to have you.”

Despite being light-hearted, the exchange showed the scope of Meta’s long-term goals in the US.

But shortly after making the official announcement, Zuckerberg made a statement to Trump that was captured on a hot microphone. He said, “Sorry, I wasn't ready,” and then went on to add, “I wasn’t sure what number you wanted to go with.”

The moment suggested that Zuckerberg had been caught off guard by Trump’s line of questioning.

Later, Zuckerberg addressed the matter on Threads, clarifying the scale of Meta’s commitment. “If AI progress keeps accelerating, it’s quite possible we’ll invest even more than this. I had briefed the President that we’re planning to invest $600B+ in the US through ’28 and a significantly higher number through the end of the decade. I wasn't sure which number he was asking about, so I just shared the lower number through ’28 and clarified with him afterwards.”

The dinner was also attended by other leading figures from the tech industry, including Google CEO Sundar Pichai, Apple CEO Tim Cook, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, OpenAI’s Sam Altman and Oracle’s Safra Catz.

Zuckerberg was not the only tech CEO to reveal investment plans at the White House dinner. Cook reiterated Apple’s $600-billion pledge, while Pichai confirmed Google would invest $250 billion over the next two years. Nadella estimated Microsoft’s US investments at $75 billion to $80 billion in 2025. OpenAI’s Altman and AMD’s Lisa Su also promised substantial spending, with Su publicly thanking Trump for his support of artificial intelligence.