Trump Honours Satya Nadella, Elon Musk and Four Other Tech Leaders With US Medals

At the New Golden Age Summit on Thursday, Trump presented the National Medal of Technology and Innovation to Nadella and Dell Technologies founder Michael Dell. SpaceX founder Elon Musk, Google co-founder Sergey Brin, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang and AMD CEO Lisa Su received the National Medal of Science.

During the ceremony, Trump praised Nadella for transforming Microsoft into a global technology powerhouse and strengthening its position in cloud computing and artificial intelligence.

“For more than three decades, Satya Nadella has been a key figure in the transformation of Microsoft,” Trump said.

He credited Nadella with expanding Microsoft’s cloud computing capabilities and making its technology accessible to businesses, students and consumers worldwide.

“Then he (Satya Nadella) had the vision to make Microsoft an early leader in super intelligence,” Trump said.

Congratulating the Microsoft chief, Trump added, “Satya, we are honoured to give you the National Medal of Technology and Innovation. It is so well deserved.”

The award citation recognised Nadella’s leadership in repositioning Microsoft for the cloud computing era and developing infrastructure to support the advancement and global deployment of artificial intelligence.

Trump also praised Musk for his contributions to space exploration, electric vehicles and satellite communications, describing the entrepreneur as a modern-day Thomas Edison.

“Elon is our modern day Thomas Edison,” Trump said, calling the SpaceX founder a national treasure. He highlighted the company’s reusable rocket technology, Starlink satellite network and broader space exploration initiatives.

Brin was recognised for developing algorithms that transformed how people access information. Trump also noted his return to Google to work on advances in superintelligence.

Huang received recognition for his role in advancing graphics processing technology, which has become central to modern artificial intelligence computing.

“The entire world is now running on Nvidia,” Trump said.

Su was honoured for her contributions to semiconductor engineering and high-performance computing, while Dell was recognised for helping make personal computers widely accessible and building a major global technology company.

The ceremony also provided Trump with an opportunity to outline his administration’s scientific and technological priorities, including quantum computing, nuclear energy, artificial intelligence and space exploration.

He said the United States was working towards developing a quantum computer for scientific discovery by 2028. Trump also referred to the Genesis mission and a White House accord on superintelligence, initiatives he linked to maintaining American leadership in advanced technologies.

The National Medal of Science recognises outstanding contributions to scientific knowledge, while the National Medal of Technology and Innovation honours achievements that advance technological development and innovation in the United States.