Facebook informed NBC news that US President Donald Trump hosted a previously undisclosed dinner with Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Facebook board member Peter Thiel at the White House in October.
The dinner was hosted during Zuckerberg’s visit to Washington where he testified before Congress about Facebook’s new cryptocurrency Libra. Zuckerberg also gave a speech at Georgetown University the week before, detailing his company’s commitment to free speech, and its resistance to calls for the company to crack down on misinformation in political ads.
“As is normal for a CEO of a major U.S. company, Mark accepted an invitation to have dinner with the President and First Lady at the White House,” a Facebook spokesperson said in an emailed statement.
The dinner was the second meeting between the US President and Zuckerberg, they had earlier met in the Oval Office during a September visit to the capital.
A person familiar with the dinner said that Thiel, one of seven Facebook board members, was also present at the dinner. Thiel is one of the openly conservative figures in Silicon Valley. He also donates to Trump’s campaigns.
Apple CEO Tim Cook also met the President recently. On Wednesday, Trump and Apple CEO Tim Cook toured an Apple manufacturing plant in Austin.
