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These top U.S. CEOs, worth nearly $1 trillion combined, are accompanying Trump to China

May 14th, 2026

President Trump arrived in China alongside a delegation of billionaire U.S. executives, including Tesla CEO Elon Musk and Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, underscoring the high stakes for American companies as Washington and Beijing negotiate over trade, artificial intelligence and the Iran war.

The executives — whose combined net worth approaches $1 trillion — lead companies with major business interests in China, despite years of trade disputes between the world's two largest economies.

Musk, whose fortune stands at about $688 billion, is the world's wealthiest person, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. Huang, whose net worth totals roughly $183 billion, is also part of the U.S. delegation, according to a list of attendees provided to CBS News by the White House.

Musk and others have confirmed their attendance, The Associated Press reported, citing a White House official who was not authorized to speak publicly about the matter.

Musk traveled with Mr. Trump aboard Air Force One, along with Nvidia's Huang. Filmmaker Brett Ratner, who directed the documentary "Melania," was also on the flight.

Additional U.S. business leaders who are traveling to Beijing include Blackstone CEO Stephen Schwarzman, with a net worth of $47.5 billion, and Apple CEO Tim Cook, whose fortune stands at $2.9 billion.

Other executives expected to attend include Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg, BlackRock CEO Larry Fink, and Meta President and Vice Chair Dina Powell McCormick, according to The Associated Press.

Nvidia makes chips that are helping fuel the AI boom, and Huang and other executives view the trip as an opportunity to strengthen ties in the Chinese market.

Mr. Trump confirmed in a social media post late Tuesday that Huang had joined him aboard Air Force One while highlighting the business leaders traveling with him to China.

Blackout Coffee


Here are the executives Mr. Trump said are "journeying to the Great Country of China" with him.

Cristiano Amon, CEO of Qualcomm
Tim Cook, CEO of Apple
Lawrence Culp Jr., CEO of GE Aerospace
Larry Fink, CEO of BlackRock
Jane Fraser, CEO of Citigroup
Jensen Huang, CEO of Nvidia
Ryan McInerney, CEO of Visa
Sanjay Mehrotra, CEO of Micron Technology
Michael Miebach, CEO of MasterCard
Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla and SpaceX
Kelly Ortberg, CEO of Boeing
Stephen Schwarzman, CEO of Blackstone
Brian Sikes, CEO of Cargill
David Solomon, CEO of Goldman Sachs
Jacob Thaysen, CEO of Illumina

Mr. Trump said in the same post that he plans to ask Chinese President Xi Jinping "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!"

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Curated By

Julian Sterling
Investment Banker | Private Equity Analyst | Technology Sector Research Analyst | Venture Capitalist
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Julian Sterling is a finance and technology journalist whose rational optimism shapes his coverage of market-driven progress. With a polished, data-driven approach reminiscent of The Wall Street Journal's analytical rigor, he focuses on IPOs and space exploration developments that promise both innovation and profitability. Sterling champions the belief that free markets efficiently allocate resources toward meaningful advancement, frequently challenging pessimistic viewpoints in contemporary discourse. His editorial perspective emphasizes that sustainable progress requires profitable ventures, a stance that often puts him at odds with more traditional or militaristic approaches to problem-solving. Through careful curation of financial and technological news, Sterling provides readers with insights into how capital markets and private enterprise continue to push humanity's boundaries, whether in boardrooms or beyond Earth's atmosphere.

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