Netanyahu meets with Elon Musk, secures major AI deal with US

Tech mogul and Department of Government Efficiency administrator Elon Musk agrees to partner up with Israel’s AI program during meeting with Netanyahu.

By World Israel News Staff

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with the Trump administration’s Department of Government Efficiency chief, Elon Musk, on Sunday, two days before the premier’s visit to the White House and first formal meeting with President Donald Trump since inauguration day last month.

While a photograph showed Trump joining the two, the Prime Minister’s Office only confirmed Monday that Netanyahu met with Musk, remaining mum on the president’s involvement in the meeting.

During their meeting, which took place shortly after Netanyahu arrived in Washington, D.C., Musk and the Israeli premier were joined by David Sacks, chair of the President’s Council of Advisers on Science and Technology.

At Netanyahu’s behest, Musk and Sacks agreed to integrate Israel’s artificial intelligence programs into Trump administration plans to massively expand AI development, estimated at roughly half a trillion dollars.

The cooperative effort is expected to benefit the U.S. and Israeli cybersecurity industry, cryptocurrency markets, and the artificial intelligence industry.

The meeting came just weeks after Netanyahu publicly defended Musk from accusations of antisemitism. The billionaire had made a gesture at a Trump inauguration event on January 20th that was interpreted by some as a Nazi salute.

“Elon Musk is being falsely smeared,” Netanyahu tweeted.

“Elon is a great friend of Israel. He visited Israel after the October 7 massacre in which Hamas terrorists committed the worst atrocity against the Jewish people since the Holocaust.

“He has since repeatedly and forcefully supported Israel’s right to defend itself against genocidal terrorists and regimes who seek to annihilate the one and only Jewish state.”