Trump Awards National Medals of Science and Technology to Tech Executives

The National Medal of Science is awarded annually to scientists and engineers for significant contributions in their fields. On October 8, 2026, President Donald Trump presented the National Medal of Science to several executives from leading technology firms, including Elon Musk of SpaceX and Tesla, Sergey Brin of Google, Jensen Huang of Nvidia, and Lisa Su of AMD. Additionally, the National Medal of Technology and Innovation was awarded to Michael Dell of Dell Technologies and Satya Nadella of Microsoft. During the ceremony, Trump acknowledged the honorees for their roles in shaping the future of America, stating, "Because of these people here, we will always be on top. No one else can compete with us." Five of the six recipients were born outside the United States, and four are listed among the ten wealthiest individuals globally, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. The ceremony occurred shortly after the Trump administration announced a suspension of the H-1B visa system for Microsoft and other tech companies, citing alleged fraudulent use of the system. Critics view the award ceremony as indicative of a close relationship between Silicon Valley executives and the Trump administration. Notably, several of the honored individuals have established connections with the White House through political and business engagements. Musk has been a significant contributor to Trump's 2024 presidential campaign and briefly served as a special adviser to the president. Trump referred to Musk as "our modern-day Thomas Edison" during the ceremony. Dell has also supported Trump’s initiatives, including a program to create government-backed investment accounts for children born during Trump's second term. The National Medal of Science was first awarded in 1963, with nominations solicited by the National Science Foundation and recipients selected by a presidentially appointed committee.