TL;DR: On Oct. 8, 2026, President Donald J. Trump presented National Medals of Science to Elon Musk, Sergey Brin, Jensen Huang and Lisa Su and National Medals of Technology and Innovation to Satya Nadella and Michael Dell at the Science: A New Golden Age Summit in Washington.

Medals presented at a White House science summit

President Donald J. Trump presented the nation's highest honors for achievement in science and technology to six technology executives on Oct. 8, 2026, according to The White House release titled "President Trump Presents National Medals of Science and National Medals of Technology and Innovation."

The presentation took place at the Science: A New Golden Age Summit, according to NBC News reporting titled "Trump awards Musk and other tech titans National Medals of Science." The White House release dated the action Oct. 8, 2026, and described the event as part of the summit.

NBC News reported the venue was the U.S. Institute of Peace in Washington. PBS News, in its report titled "WATCH: Trump awards Elon Musk the National Medal of Science, among other awards for tech execs," placed the ceremony in Washington and dated its update Oct. 8, 2026, at 3:17 PM EDT after an initial publication at 10:29 AM EDT.

The White House release said the honors recognized six living innovators for exemplary achievement and leadership in science and technology. NBC News identified the six people on stage with Trump as Musk, Brin, Huang, Su, Nadella and Dell, joined by administration officials and scientific figures.

Trump presented each recipient with medals and certificates of honor, according to NBC News. That report added that Trump later asked some of their families to join him onstage for photographs.

Who received the National Medal of Science

The White House release listed four recipients of the National Medal of Science. They were Elon Musk, Sergey Brin, Jensen Huang and Lisa Su.

The White House release identified Musk in connection with engineering work linked to space exploration, intelligent systems and communications. It identified Brin in connection with algorithms for information retrieval and data processing. It identified Huang in connection with graphics processing units and processor design and software. It identified Su in connection with semiconductor engineering and high-performance computing.

NBC News described the same four as recipients of the Medal of Science. PBS News reported that Trump gave the National Medal of Science to SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, Google co-founder Sergey Brin, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang and Lisa Su, CEO of the semiconductor company Advanced Micro Devices.

PBS News reported that each of the four was born overseas. It listed South Africa for Musk, Russia for Brin and Taiwan for Huang and Su. NBC News quoted Huang describing himself as an immigrant who arrived with his parents to pursue the American dream.

The business titles used in the reports varied by outlet. PBS News used SpaceX CEO for Musk, Google co-founder for Brin, Nvidia CEO for Huang and CEO of Advanced Micro Devices for Su. NBC News used Tesla and SpaceX CEO for Musk, Google co-founder for Brin, Nvidia CEO for Huang and AMD CEO for Su.

Who received the National Medal of Technology and Innovation

The White House release listed two recipients of the National Medal of Technology and Innovation. They were Michael Dell and Satya Nadella.

NBC News described Nadella as Microsoft CEO and Dell as Dell founder. PBS News described Nadella as Microsoft CEO and Dell as Dell Technologies CEO. The White House release described Dell in connection with personal and enterprise computing and building a worldwide technology company, and Nadella in connection with leadership of a technology company in cloud computing and hyperscale infrastructure.

PBS News reported that Dell was born in Texas and that Nadella immigrated from India. That report counted five of the six total honorees as people who came from abroad, with Dell as the recipient born in the United States.

Trump's remarks for Nadella, as reported by PBS News, credited more than three decades connected to the transformation of Microsoft and work empowering businesses, students and consumers with software. The White House release credited Nadella with rejuvenation for an era of cloud computing and construction of hyperscale infrastructure tied to training and deployment of American super intelligence.

The White House release credited Dell with advancing widespread adoption of personal and enterprise computing, technical and business management in building a worldwide technology company, and support for the next generation of scientists, engineers and technologists.

What the official citations said

The White House release published formal citations for all six recipients.

For Musk, the citation covered engineering achievements described as extraordinary in ambition and scale that pushed frontiers of space exploration, intelligent systems and communications, renewed American technological leadership and opened a new chapter in American manufacturing.

For Brin, the citation covered development of foundational algorithms for information retrieval and data processing that revolutionized how the world accesses information across science, commerce and everyday life.

For Huang, the citation covered advancing the graphics processing unit into a general-purpose computing architecture through innovations in processor design and software, transforming massively parallel computation and powering breakthroughs in scientific computing and super intelligence.

For Su, the citation covered leadership in semiconductor engineering and high-performance computing through innovations in processor architecture and chiplet-based integration that powered the world's first exascale supercomputer and opened new frontiers in computational performance.

For Dell, the citation covered advancing a vision of widespread adoption of personal and enterprise computing, technical and business management skills building a worldwide technology company, and support for the next generation of American scientists, engineers and technologists.

For Nadella, the citation covered transformative leadership of an American technology company that led to its rejuvenation for a new era of cloud computing, and construction of hyperscale infrastructure that enabled training and global deployment of American super intelligence.

What the medals represent

The White House release described the National Medal of Science and the National Medal of Technology and Innovation as the nation's highest honors for exemplary achievement and leadership in science and technology.

The release said that since 1963, the President of the United States has bestowed the National Medal of Science on those deserving special recognition for outstanding contributions to science in service of the United States.

The release said that since it was first awarded in 1985, the National Medal of Technology and Innovation has recognized American innovators whose vision, intellect, creativity and determination have strengthened the economy and improved quality of life.

PBS News reported that past winners of the National Medal of Science, which it dated to establishment in 1959, have mainly been academics and research scientists rather than business leaders. That report noted the ceremony honoring business leaders overlapped with the awarding that week, separately, of Nobel Prizes.

Trump compared the group to his uncle, John Trump, according to PBS News. That report identified John Trump as an electrical engineer and professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology who received the National Medal of Science in 1983.

How Trump described the honorees

Trump called the group of billionaires "national treasures," according to PBS News. NBC News quoted Trump telling recipients they would go down in the annals of history as being great.

NBC News quoted Trump saying, "We live in an age of American wonders and technological marvels, and with the help of the brilliant men and women here today, we will always be on top." PBS News quoted Trump calling the day the biggest day in the world of science and the world of technology and repeating the line about going down in the annals of history as being great.

NBC News quoted Trump describing the audience as an extremely high-IQ audience. PBS News quoted Trump joking, "We have an extremely high IQ audience, for a change."

White House spokesperson Liz Huston said in a statement quoted by NBC News that the administration was grateful for the contributions of leaders in science and technology and that the recipients were helping ensure America keeps leading the world in innovation.

Michael Kratsios, Assistant to the President and Director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, was quoted in The White House release saying each medalist transformed a field or industry and laid foundations for technologies people already can barely imagine living without. The same statement said scientific progress and technological innovation depend on the insight and character of individuals and described the six awardees as architects of the future.

The Microsoft visa action on the same day

The ceremony took place hours after Microsoft was targeted by the administration over foreign workers, according to PBS News and NBC News.

PBS News reported that before the ceremony recognizing Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, Vice President JD Vance announced at a news conference that Microsoft was being suspended from a program that allows companies to apply for green cards for skilled foreign workers with H-1B visas.

NBC News reported that Vance announced the administration would suspend Microsoft and several other companies from a program that allows foreign workers to apply for green cards. PBS News described the action as a suspension from a program that allows companies to apply for green cards for skilled foreign workers with H-1B visas.

Vance told a news conference that Microsoft had abused the visa system, according to PBS News. That report quoted Vance saying, "Our message to Microsoft is: You're a great American company, but you've got to hire great American workers." The same report quoted Vance saying, "You cannot lay off American workers and then replace them with foreign indentured servants."

Vance said Microsoft last year fired 6,000 U.S. workers but also obtained 6,300 H-1B visas and almost 3,000 green cards, according to PBS News. That report said Microsoft, based in Redmond, Washington, has 223,000 employees worldwide.

Microsoft said in a statement quoted by PBS News that the majority of its H-1B visa applications last fiscal year were to extend or change the status of existing Microsoft employees.

In presenting the National Medal of Technology and Innovation to Nadella, Trump made no statements about hiring of foreign workers and took a more flattering approach, according to PBS News. The White House did not respond to questions about why the two events were scheduled on the same day, according to PBS News. When Vance was asked about it, he said, "We're going to continue to support Microsoft and have a great relationship with Microsoft," according to PBS News.

Immigration remarks at the summit

Several summit speakers emphasized the importance of immigrants to scientific power, according to NBC News.

Huang told NBC News as he walked through the venue with his parents, "I was an immigrant, and my parents brought us here to pursue the American dream." The same report quoted Huang calling the honor something that could only happen in America.

Carnegie Mellon University President Farnam Jahanian highlighted the importance of a welcoming immigration system in a conversation about the future of American research universities, according to NBC News. Jahanian pointed out that China produces more engineers and scientists than the U.S., Europe and Japan put together, according to NBC News.

Jahanian said an immigration policy was needed to recruit the best talent to come to the country, speaking as an immigrant who benefited from opportunities in the country, according to NBC News. The report quoted Jahanian saying it was important to recruit the best talent to come and stay and contribute.

PBS News reported the administration's stated position as seeking to identify superstar immigrants who could lead groundbreaking companies while arguing that hiring unexceptional foreigners had hurt U.S. workers.

The Golden Age science agenda

The White House release said Trump is committed to restoring U.S. global scientific and technological leadership for a New Golden Age, listing super intelligence for scientific discovery, a nuclear renaissance, space superiority and quantum advantage.

The White House release said the medalists pioneered breakthroughs in science and engineering for a new age of super intelligence, from advances in general-purpose parallel computing and semiconductor design to leadership in building hyperscale infrastructure in the U.S., around the world and into space. It said their work advanced American global technology leadership and laid the foundation for a new Golden Age of Science.

NBC News reported the summit was an all-day affair meant to highlight the American scientific enterprise and built on a July report from Kratsios about reinvigorating scientific discovery and innovation.

The White House release described Science: A New Golden Age, released in July 2026 by Kratsios, as the first comprehensive rethinking of the U.S. science and technology enterprise since Vannevar Bush's 1945 Science: The Endless Frontier. It said the report observes changes in how discovery happens, particularly the increased role of industry in driving research and development and the integration of applied and foundational research.

The release listed core recommendations including strengthening support for early-career scientists, reviving pursuit of ambitious scientific missions, launching new funding and organizational models for transformative research, building metascience infrastructure to improve the research enterprise, and scaling SI-driven scientific discovery through the Genesis Mission.

Kratsios highlighted ballooning costs of clinical trials and falling rates of novel drugs approved for patient use as examples of scientific sluggishness, according to NBC News. That report said the administration plan would streamline funding to promising scientists instead of routing it through established institutions.

Funding and technology announcements

The event included announcements about funding for scientific initiatives, according to NBC News.

NBC News reported a pledge of around $2.4 billion of AI computing credits and scientific tools by American AI companies for federal agencies working on scientific issues prioritized by the White House. The areas included quantum algorithms, AI-driven physical laboratories and improvement of the efficiency of nuclear engineering, according to NBC News.

Kratsios also presided over an announcement by NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman and Energy Secretary Chris Wright of a new partnership to embrace nuclear technology in space exploration, according to NBC News.

NBC News quoted Wright saying, "Thanks to President Trump, America's nuclear renaissance is reaching a new frontier." The same report quoted Isaacman saying nuclear power would allow NASA spacecraft to travel farther and operate longer, opening an entirely new frontier for exploration and discovery.

The day focused on artificial intelligence, now referred to as super intelligence by the administration, along with nuclear power, quantum computing and metascience, or the study of science itself, according to NBC News. That report quoted Kratsios saying super intelligence would be the biggest unlock for scientists.

Representatives from OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, Amazon Web Services and Micron Technology attended, according to NBC News.

White House visitors and recent context

PBS News reported the tech leaders have been frequent visitors to the White House in recent weeks. It reported that Musk, Huang and Su sat at the head table with Trump at a lavish state dinner for China's leader, Xi Jinping.

PBS News also reported that Dell sponsored the government's special investment accounts for children known as Trump Accounts. It reported that the honors were part of a summit celebrating a new golden age of science and built on Trump's praise toward entrepreneurs for accelerating artificial intelligence technology, which he refers to as super intelligence.

That report said Trump increasingly counted on the technology to deliver on his economic agenda and pushed for the U.S. to lead its development while resisting calls for guardrails that he worries will stifle growth.

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