A brief exchange captured on camera during Donald Trump’s lavish state banquet for Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has triggered a wave of speculation, after a lip reader claimed Elon Musk made a controversial remark about the visiting leader. The billionaire attended the White House event on Tuesday, marking a public return to good terms with President Trump, just six months after their highly publicised fallout.

The Daily Mail shared a clip suggesting that Musk had leaned toward Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla and asked, “What is your opinion, is he a terrorist?” According to lip reader Nicola Hickling, Bourla appeared taken aback by the question. The publication reported that representatives for both Musk and Bourla had been approached for comment.

Musk denies the allegation

The SpaceX and Tesla chief quickly rejected the viral interpretation. Responding to the report on social media, Musk insisted that the comment attributed to him was incorrect. “False, I was asking about upcoming cancer drugs,” he wrote, claiming his conversation with Bourla had been related to medical advances, not geopolitics.

High-profile guest list at Trump’s banquet

Trump hosted the dinner to mark Prince Mohammed’s first visit to the United States since the 2018 killing of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi, an event that severely strained Washington-Riyadh relations. Despite the controversy surrounding the Crown Prince, the banquet drew a long list of political, corporate and entertainment heavyweights.

Cristiano Ronaldo, FIFA President Gianni Infantino, and several top U.S. officials – including Vice President JD Vance and Second Lady Usha Vance – were among those in attendance. Members of the Trump family, including Melania Trump, Donald Trump Jr. and Tiffany Trump, also joined the event.

Major business leaders filled the room as well, including Apple’s Tim Cook, Nvidia’s Jensen Huang, Dell Technologies founder Michael Dell, Palantir’s Alex Karp, ExxonMobil CEO Mike Wirth, and Blackstone’s Stephen A. Schwarzman. The New York Times reported that prominent executives such as Jane Fraser, Brendan Bechtel and Tareq Amin were also present.

Saudi ties under renewed scrutiny

The Crown Prince’s visit came with heightened political tension. Trump faced direct questions about Prince Mohammed’s alleged link to Khashoggi's assassination, even as he offered the royal an elaborate welcome that included a military flyover – a gesture typically reserved for America’s closest allies.

The high-profile event also cast fresh attention on the Trump family’s business ventures in Saudi Arabia, including plans for a major residential skyscraper in Jeddah.