Trump Honors Tech Leaders, Receives Own Medal
President awards National Medal of Science to Elon Musk, Jensen Huang, and others, also receiving a framed medal originally awarded to his uncle.
President Trump on Thursday honored several top technology executives, including Elon Musk and Jensen Huang, with the National Medal of Science, declaring the current era a "golden age" for American innovation. Trump himself received a framed medal that had been awarded to his uncle, Dr. John Trump, by President Ronald Reagan in 1983.
During a ceremony at the Institute for Peace, the president presented the prestigious science award to leaders such as SpaceX's Elon Musk, Nvidia's Jensen Huang, Dell CEO Michael Dell, Google co-founder Sergey Brin, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, and Advanced Micro Devices CEO Lisa Su. Trump lauded the recipients, stating their contributions "will be remembered in the annals of science forever."
The president also screened a video tribute to his uncle, Dr. John Trump, an electrical engineer and physicist who taught at MIT. Dr. Trump's wartime research contributed to microwave radar for the Allies, and he later pioneered cancer treatments. Following inventor Nikola Tesla's death in 1943, the FBI tasked Dr. Trump with examining Tesla's papers for potentially dangerous technologies.
President Trump recalled his uncle's 1983 National Medal of Science, describing it as "the honor of his lifetime."
The ceremony highlighted Trump's recent engagement with the tech industry, including a meeting on artificial intelligence and an agreement on "super intelligence" signed by industry leaders. Many of the honorees are frequent attendees at White House events.
While the CEOs did not speak, they accepted their gold medals. Trump singled out Elon Musk, calling him "my friend" and "a national treasure," and comparing him to "our modern-day Thomas Edison."
He also praised Michael and Susan Dell as "unbelievable philanthropists."