LinkedIn co-founder and major Democratic donor Reid Hoffman did not join President Donald Trump and a group of other tech leaders to Riyadh as reported by the White House, his office said Tuesday.
Clarifying the Situation
Hoffman’s chief of staff Aria Finger told POLITICO Hoffman did not attend, while also tweeting a photo of the two of them having lunch, noting “Not in Riyadh.”
Guest List Controversy
Hoffman’s name was on a list of tech leaders attending a lunch with Saudi officials, provided to reporters by the White House. The list also included Elon Musk, Nvidia’s Jensen Huang, OpenAI’s Sam Altman and Amazon’s Andy Jassy, among others.
Political Stand
Hoffman stood out among the guest list because of his major donations to Democratic candidates. He was among a group of venture capitalists in the 2024 election to publicly support former Vice President Kamala Harris in a rebuke of other tech world figures who had started to vocally endorse Trump.
Behind the Scenes
The invite list, featuring dozens of top U.S executives, was largely handled by the Saudi Crown Prince’s team, according to one White House official and two people close with the administration, all granted anonymity to speak candidly about logistics. The list was finalized in conjunction with the U.S. National Security Council and top White House senior advisers, said one of the people.
Reason for Invitation
Hoffman was invited by the Saudis due to his ties to leadership in the country, according to one of the people close with the administration.
Trump’s Arrival and Announcement
Trump arrived in Riyadh on Tuesday and was greeted by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman when he disembarked Air Force One. The president’s trip to Saudi Arabia is Trump’s first major trip abroad since taking office.
While in Riyadh, Trump announced that he’s lifting sanctions on Syria.
