President Donald Trump recently hosted the CEOs or other high-level representatives of several Big Tech firms at the White House for a dinner and discussion about the future of artificial intelligence development and dominance in the United States.

One of the guests, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, was caught on a "hot mic" privately admitting to Trump that he wasn't prepared for some of the questions that were asked of him, according to the Daily Mail.

The tech leader's admission prompted the president to joke that the awkward moment could mark the start of a political career for Zuckerberg.

"Sorry, I wasn’t ready ..."

Last week, during President Trump's dinner with tech industry leaders, he took a moment to work his way around the table and ask various attendees how much their respective companies planned to invest in AI development and innovations over the next few years.

Meta CEO Zuckerberg, who was seated next to the president, appeared "flustered" when the question was posed to him, according to TheWrap, and replied with some hesitation, "Oh, gosh. I mean, I think it’s probably going to be something like, I don’t know, at least $600 billion through ’28 in the U.S., yeah."

"It’s a lot," Trump noted, to which Zuckerberg agreed, "It’s -- it’s significant."

A few moments later, perhaps not realizing that the microphones would catch him, Zuckerberg leaned toward Trump and quietly stated, "Sorry, I wasn’t ready to do a -- a big announcement. I wasn’t -- I wasn’t sure what number you wanted."

🚨NEW: Zuckerberg caught on a hot mic: "I wasn't ready to do our announcement. I wasn't sure what number you wanted to go with." 😂😂😂pic.twitter.com/VLXudG4dXb

— Autism Capital 🧩 (@AutismCapital) September 5, 2025

Zuckerberg "wasn't paying attention" to questions asked

That wasn't Zuckerberg's only surprising acknowledgement of unpreparedness that was picked up on the microphones when it was likely intended to remain private, according to the Daily Mail.

At one point during the event, a reporter asked the Meta CEO for his thoughts on censorship and free speech legislation in the United Kingdom, but Zuckerberg admitted that he "wasn't paying attention" to the question that had been asked of him.

Trump joked that the moment could be "the beginning" of a political career for the tech leader, but the nervous CEO laughed off the suggestion, denying any such ambitions.

First lady hosted AI in Education summit

The Daily Mail noted that the White House dinner included a "who's who" of tech leaders in the U.S., with one notable exception -- Elon Musk -- though it is unclear if he was not invited, given his previous falling out with the president, or was otherwise too busy to attend the event.

Prior to that dinner, which was supposed to be held outdoors in the newly-paved Rose Garden but was moved indoors due to rain, many of those same tech leaders had joined first lady Melania Trump for a summit discussion about the use of AI in children's education.

"I predict AI will represent the single largest growth category in our nation during the Trump Administration -- and I won’t be surprised if AI becomes known as the greatest engine of progress in the history of the United States of America," the first lady said. "But, as leaders and parents, we must manage AI’s growth responsibly."

"During this primitive stage, it is our duty to treat AI as we would our own children -- empowering, but with watchful guidance," she added. "We are living in a moment of wonder, and it is our responsibility to prepare America’s children."