Trump calls Google CEO Pichai a ‘monster’ at White House

U.S. President Donald Trump called Google Chief Executive Sundar Pichai a “monster” while praising his influence and low public profile during a White House gathering of technology executives focused on artificial intelligence. Pichai answered with a joke, saying he hoped Trump could find a better tagline than “I’m a monster.” The exchange took place as Trump spoke with reporters after meeting executives to discuss AI. Trump invited Pichai to speak, but interrupted him as he began to respond. Trump then described the technology leaders nearby as some of the most influential people in the world and said Pichai was a “monster” who few people knew. He praised the executive’s ability to avoid the frequent exchanges with reporters that politicians face and repeated Pichai’s first name for the press. Pichai smiled during Trump’s remarks and delivered his response with humor. The exchange was captured on video, which showed laughter from people nearby. Trump did not explain precisely what he meant by “monster”; in context, he was praising Pichai’s stature and the influence of technology executives.