David Ellison Witnesses Controversial Trump State Dinner with China

David Ellison, CEO of Paramount Skydance, was a prominent guest at the state dinner held at the White House on Thursday evening in honor of Chinese President Xi Jinping. The evening was significant not only for diplomatic relations but also for the media landscape, as the White House restricted access for reporters from CNN and MS NOW, networks that Ellison is poised to gain control over with his company’s nearing $111 billion takeover of Warner Bros.

State Dinner Highlights and Notable Guests

Accompanying Ellison was his wife, Sandra Lynn Ellison, among a guest list that featured over 100 government officials and business leaders. The state dinner follows recent developments in the Paramount-Warner Bros. acquisition, which received a settlement approval from 12 Democratic state attorneys general this week. The proposed settlement is still under judicial review but does not require substantial concessions from Paramount. Previously, the deal was approved earlier this year by the Justice Department without any conditions imposed during the Trump administration.

Tech Titans in Attendance

The event also attracted a host of tech luminaries, including Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, Apple chairman Tim Cook, Google CEO Sundar Pichai, and Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg. Other notable attendees included Fox News anchors Bret Baier, Laura Ingraham, and Jesse Watters, alongside U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts and Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, who attended with his wife, Cheryl Hines.

Media Limitations and Press Restrictions

In an unusual turn, CNN reported that White House officials barred two of its staffers from covering President Xi’s arrival for the dinner, which followed previous tensions between the network and the administration. A “press wrangler” instructed CNN personnel to consult with White House Communications Director Steven Cheung regarding their access. The prohibition also extended to MS NOW staff, restricting their participation in the coverage of the state dinner.

This denial of access echoes actions taken by the previous Trump administration when CNN, along with other outlets, was banned from White House events. A subsequent lawsuit led to a temporary restraining order that required the administration to restore press passes, but as of Thursday evening, the White House denied access for this particular event.

Trump-Ellison Connection

Donald Trump shares a friendly rapport with both David Ellison and his father, Larry Ellison, the billionaire founder of Oracle. Earlier this year, David Ellison hosted a dinner in Washington, D.C., honoring Trump and the First Amendment, which drew notable media professionals and executives from CBS News.

A Taste of Diplomacy

The menu for the evening was crafted to impress, featuring a first course of a “silky-smooth velouté” of sweet yellow squash, sesame-crusted sea bass with braised baby bok choy and roasted garden eggplant as the main dish, and a dessert of “smooth vanilla crémeux” with a sour cherry confit center, complemented by ice cream made with “harvested White House honey.”

Entertainment for the evening was provided by tenor Christopher Macchio, who previously performed at Trump’s 2025 inauguration, along with military musicians from the U.S. Marine Corps and the U.S. Army.

Full Guest List

The White House released a comprehensive guest list for the state dinner, which included prominent figures from various sectors, reflecting the intersection of politics, business, and media in attendance.