The scene opens confusingly. The camera zooms too close to the president’s face; the table at which the tech executives are seated seems far too long. Mark Zuckerberg is there, and Bill Gates and Tim Cook and Satya Nadella and Sam Altman and on and on, a baker’s dozen or so of Silicon Valley’s most powerful people—cutthroat competitors all—united here to pledge allegiance to Donald Trump.

The introduction from Trump is characteristically both overgilded and confusing: “It's an honor to be here with this group of people. They're leading a revolution in business and in genius and every other word.” And then, about 90 seconds in, the pandering begins.

This was Donald Trump’s dinner with tech leaders at the State Dining Room in the White House on Thursday evening, broadcast in part fo

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