Tim Cook expected at White House state dinner for Xi Jinping

Apple executive chairman Tim Cook is expected to attend a White House state dinner for Chinese President Xi Jinping on September 24, 2026, according to Bloomberg reporting relayed by MacRumors and AppleInsider.

U.S. President Donald Trump has invited Cook along with OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, among others, for the dinner during Xi’s visit to Washington, the reports say.

Cook’s chairman / government-liaison role

Cook stepped down as Apple CEO on September 1, 2026, becoming executive chairman with responsibilities that include engaging policymakers. John Ternus is now CEO. AppleInsider frames the handoff as keeping day-to-day political optics farther from the new CEO’s desk, while Cook continues Apple Management–level government outreach.

This would not be Cook’s first Xi-related state dinner. MacRumors notes he attended a Beijing state dinner Xi hosted for Trump earlier in 2026, and that in 2015 he was seated next to Xi at a state dinner then-President Barack Obama hosted.

What is — and isn’t — confirmed

• Reported / expected: Cook’s attendance, based on Bloomberg sourcing (a person familiar with the matter, as carried by MacRumors and AppleInsider).
• Also reported as invited: Altman and Huang among AI-industry guests.
• Not confirmed here: an Apple press release naming the guest list, a published White House seating chart, or any specific dinner agenda outcomes.

Treat the story as a reported expectation, not a locked Apple confirmation.

Sources: MacRumors (Juli Clover), AppleInsider (Wesley Hilliard), citing Bloomberg.