Trump to award science and technology medals to Musk, Huang, Su, Brin, Dell, Nadella
In short
President Donald Trump is set to award the National Medal of Science to Elon Musk, Sergey Brin, Jensen Huang and Lisa Su, and the National Medal of Technology and Innovation to Michael Dell and Satya Nadella, at the White House's "Science: A New Golden Age Summit" on Thursday. Fox News reported it first, and Bloomberg, CNBC and The Hill reported it citing the White House. CNBC and The Hill reported that all six honorees have contributed to Trump's or Republican campaigns or causes.
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President Donald Trump is set to award the National Medal of Science to Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, Google co-founder Sergey Brin, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang and Advanced Micro Devices CEO Lisa Su on Thursday, according to the White House. Dell Technologies CEO Michael Dell and Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella are to receive the National Medal of Technology and Innovation. The medals will be presented at the White House's "Science: A New Golden Age Summit". Fox News first reported the plans; Bloomberg cited a White House official speaking on condition of anonymity, and The Hill said a White House official confirmed them to its broadcast partner NewsNation. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ]
"The Trump Administration is grateful for the contributions of these incredible leaders in science and technology," White House assistant press secretary Liz Huston said in a statement. "These recipients are helping ensure America keeps leading the world in innovation." Fox News, which described Huston as a White House spokesperson, reported that the ceremony will be the first time Trump has presented either medal across his two administrations, and that the summit will bring together scientists and tech innovators to discuss how super intelligence and private-sector investment can accelerate scientific breakthroughs. [ 1 , 3 , 4 ]
Fox News said Musk's award marks another step in his return to Trump's orbit after their relationship ruptured last year, following Musk's departure from DOGE, when he criticised Trump's signature tax-and-spending bill. Bloomberg said the awards underscore the close ties between the administration and Silicon Valley. [ 1 , 2 ]
CNBC and The Hill reported that each honoree has contributed in some way to Trump's or Republican campaigns or causes. According to CNBC, Musk was Trump's biggest financial backer in the 2024 election cycle, contributing over $290 million, and then led an effort to cut the federal workforce as a special government employee. Brin attended Trump's inauguration and gave to the Republican National Committee in 2025, which CNBC put at hundreds of thousands of dollars. CNBC said Huang donated to a fund to build Trump's White House ballroom and Nvidia contributed $1 million to Trump's inauguration. [ 3 , 4 ]
Dell and his wife Susan committed $6.25 billion to seed the Trump Accounts program; The Hill reported that at its launch in July Trump told reporters to "go out and buy a Dell computer", and that Nvidia promised to match the Treasury Department's $1,000 deposits for its employees. The Hill also said Huang and Musk attended Trump's recent state dinner with Chinese President Xi Jinping. CNBC noted the summit comes a little over a week after Trump hosted a White House lunch on artificial intelligence with several of the executives, after which he said he had signed a "morally binding" document with tech leaders. [ 3 , 4 ]
Why it matters
Fox News reported that this will be the first time Trump has presented these two national honors in either of his administrations, and that the award marks another step in Musk's return to Trump's orbit after their split. Bloomberg said the awards underscore the close ties between the administration and Silicon Valley, while CNBC and The Hill noted the honorees' financial support for Trump or Republican causes.
Key facts
- Elon Musk, Sergey Brin, Jensen Huang and Lisa Su are to receive the National Medal of Science. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ]
- Michael Dell and Satya Nadella are to receive the National Medal of Technology and Innovation. [ 1 , 3 , 4 ]
- The awards are to be presented on Thursday at the White House's "Science: A New Golden Age Summit". [ 1 , 3 , 4 ]
- Fox News reported it will be the first time Trump has presented these medals across either of his administrations. [ 1 ]
- White House assistant press secretary Liz Huston said the recipients "are helping ensure America keeps leading the world in innovation." [ 1 , 3 , 4 ]
- CNBC and The Hill reported that each honoree has contributed in some way to Trump's or Republican campaigns or causes. [ 3 , 4 ]
- CNBC reported Musk contributed over $290 million in the 2024 election cycle, making him Trump's biggest financial backer. [ 3 ]
Confirmed by several sources
- Musk, Brin, Huang and Su are slated to receive the National Medal of Science, according to the White House. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ]
- Dell and Nadella are to receive the National Medal of Technology and Innovation. [ 1 , 3 , 4 ]
- The awards will be given at the "Science: A New Golden Age" summit on Thursday. [ 1 , 3 , 4 ]
- Liz Huston of the White House said the administration is grateful for the contributions of the recipients. [ 1 , 3 , 4 ]
- Musk was Trump's largest backer in the 2024 campaign and later led an effort to cut the federal workforce. [ 3 , 4 ]
- Dell and his wife pledged $6.25 billion to the Trump Accounts program. [ 3 , 4 ]
Still unclear
- Whether this is the first time Trump has presented the National Medal of Science and the National Medal of Technology and Innovation. Only Fox News reports this.
- What the summit will discuss beyond the awards. Only Fox News says it will cover how super intelligence and private-sector investment can accelerate scientific breakthroughs.
- Liz Huston's title. Fox News calls her a White House spokesperson; CNBC and The Hill call her assistant press secretary.
What local media are saying
Timeline, local time
- Fox News reports that Trump will award the national science and technology medals to Musk and other tech leaders. [ 1 ]
- Bloomberg reports the National Medal of Science recipients, citing a White House official. [ 2 ]
- CNBC says it has confirmed the awards and publishes Liz Huston's statement. [ 3 ]
- The Hill reports a White House official confirmed the awards to NewsNation. [ 4 ]