President Donald Trump presents SpaceX, Twitter and electric car maker Tesla CEO Elon Musk to China’s Vice President Han Zheng at Beijing Capital Airport in Beijing on May 13, 2026. (Brendan Smialowski – AFP / Getty Images)
By Jack Davis May 13, 2026 at 6:08am
President Donald Trump is bringing Elon Musk and some of the American private sector’s most powerful leaders with him on his trip to China.
In a Truth Social post, Trump noted the private sector powerhouses joining him on his trip.
“CNBC incorrectly reported that the Great Jensen Huang, of Nvidia, was not invited to the incredible gathering of the World’s Greatest Businessmen/women proudly going to China. In actuality, Jensen is currently on Air Force One and, unless I ask him to leave, which is highly unlikely, CNBC’s reporting is incorrect or, as they say in politics, FAKE NEWS!” Trump wrote.
“It is an Honor to have Jensen, Elon, Tim Apple, Larry Fink, Stephen Schwarzmann, Kelly Ortberg (Boeing), Brian Sikes (Cargill), Jane Fraser (Citi), Larry Culp (GE Aerospace), David Solomon (Goldman Sachs), Sanjay Mehrotra (Micron), Cristiano Amon (Qualcomm), and many others journeying to the Great Country of China where I will be asking President Xi, a Leader of extraordinary distinction, to “open up” China so that these brilliant people can work their magic, and help bring the People’s Republic to an even higher level!” Trump posted.
Elon Musk is joining President Trump on a major trip to Beijing, signaling a notable shift after the pair’s well-documented falling out in 2025.
The Tesla CEO will be traveling alongside other corporate heavyweights like Apple’s Tim Cook and BlackRock’s Larry Fink as part of the… pic.twitter.com/icBw5GC3X0
— Fox News (@FoxNews) May 12, 2026
“In fact, I promise, that when we are together, which will be in a matter of hours, I will make that my very first request. I have never seen or heard of any idea that would be more beneficial to our incredible Countries!” he wrote.
Huang was not initially joining Trump, according to The New York Times.
Trump called him on Tuesday and invited him, the outlet reported, citing a source it did not name.
BREAKING: President Trump has STEPPED OFF Air Force One with Elon Musk in BEIJING, receiving an INCREDIBLY warm welcome from the Chinese
300 Chinese students waved American and Chinese flags, and 47 was presented with gifts
This is the FIRST Presidential visit to China in… pic.twitter.com/uXkpRvZJg4
— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) May 13, 2026
The New York Times reported that Trump is seeking to create “a board of investment and a board of trade with China.”
As noted by the Daily Wire, Musk has called China “an amazing powerhouse of manufacturing.”
Musk said that China “understands very well that solar is the future.”
On my way to Beijing in Air Force One
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 13, 2026
Musk has also noted that more people need to visit China to deepen their understanding of it.
“China has many excellent companies in many industries,” he said, suggesting it would dominate the artificial intelligence race.
NEWS: Elon Musk just arrived in China with President Trump. https://t.co/1wuGU6pgLS pic.twitter.com/HZISF0ZWZn
— DogeDesigner (@cb_doge) May 13, 2026
“Google will win the AI race in the West, China on Earth and SpaceX in space,” he has said.
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Jack Davis is a freelance writer who joined The Western Journal in July 2015 and chronicled the campaign that saw President Donald Trump elected. Since then, he has written extensively for The Western Journal on the Trump administration as well as foreign policy and military issues.
Jack Davis is a freelance writer who joined The Western Journal in July 2015 and chronicled the campaign that saw President Donald Trump elected. Since then, he has written extensively for The Western Journal on the Trump administration as well as foreign policy and military issues.
Jack can be reached at jackwritings1@gmail.com.
Location
New York City
Languages Spoken
English
Topics of Expertise
Politics, Foreign Policy, Military & Defense Issues
