Tech Titans Jeff Bezos and Tim Cook Grace Joe Biden with Their Presence at State Dinner

President Biden welcomed an array of high-profile guests, including tech industry leaders, to a state dinner held in honor of Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida at the White House on Wednesday evening.

The New York Post reports that the White House played host to a star-studded gathering on Wednesday night as President Biden held a state dinner to honor visiting Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida. The event saw a convergence of political figures, entertainment icons, and notably, billionaire tech moguls.

WASHINGTON, DC – APRIL 10: Amazon founder Jeff Bezos (R) and his fiancee Lauren Sanchez arrive at the White House for a state dinner on April 10, 2024 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images)

Former US President Bill Clinton, left, and Hillary Clinton, former US secretary of state, right, arrive to attend a state dinner in honor of Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida hosted by US President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden at the White House in Washington, DC, US, on Wednesday, April 10, 2024. Photographer: Julia Nikhinson/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Among the attendees were Amazon founder and Washington Post owner Jeff Bezos, as well as Apple CEO Tim Cook, both seated at tables near the center of the room. Their presence highlighted the growing influence and importance of the tech industry in both domestic and international affairs.

Breitbart News editor-in-chief Alex Marlow documented the cozy relationship between big tech and the Biden administration in his book Breaking the News: Exposing the Establishment Media’s Hidden Deals and Secret Corruption. Marlow writes:

After Biden’s election win, the convergence of the national security establishment and the Masters of the Universe began to reveal itself. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines both worked for the consulting firm WestExec, which Blinken cofounded with Michèle Flournoy, a former undersecretary of defense under President Obama. Google hired WestExec to help them land valuable Department of Defense contracts.

From a Reuters report from December 2020: “Google’s former Chief Executive Eric Schmidt, a billionaire who is a Silicon Valley titan, has been making personnel recommendations for appointments to the Department of Defense—as the company tries to pursue military contracts and defense work, according to three sources.” When Biden was sworn in, Schmidt was appointed to lead a government panel on artificial intelligence.

The head table featured former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, along with leftist actor Robert De Niro. Other notable guests included JP Morgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, and Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell.

In his toast, Joe Biden emphasized the importance of the choices made to forge the friendship between the United States and Japan, stating, “We both remember the hard work, what it has done to find healing. Tonight, we pledge to keep going.”

Prime Minister Kishida, 66, drew an unexpected parallel to popular culture in his toast, pledging that the Japanese-US relationship would “boldly go where no one had gone before,” a reference to the iconic science fiction series Star Trek.

The evening’s entertainment was provided by legendary singer-songwriter Paul Simon, 82, who performed his hits “Graceland” and “Slip Slidin’ Away” in the State Dining Room.

The guest list also included prominent figures from various fields, such as figure skater Kristi Yamaguchi, World Bank President Ajay Banga, United Auto Workers president Shawn Fain, and several billionaire business magnates.