WASHINGTON, Feb 6 (Reuters) - President Donald Trump met

U.S. Steel Chief Executive David Buritt at the White House

on Thursday as the struggling steelmaker has been pushing for a

decision on its long-sought takeover by Japan's Nippon Steel ( NISTF )

.

A $14.9 billion bid for U.S. Steel by Nippon Steel ( NISTF ) was

blocked last month by former President Joe Biden.

Trump has also opposed the deal but has welcomed Japanese

investment in the technology sector. He will meet on Friday with

Japan's Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba at the White House.

It was not immediately clear what was discussed at the

meeting between Trump and U.S. Steel's Buritt.

Last year, Trump said "I am totally against the once great

and powerful U.S. Steel being bought by a foreign company, in

this case Nippon Steel ( NISTF ) of Japan."

However, Nippon Steel ( NISTF ) said on Thursday that its bid fits

with Trump's goal of a stronger U.S. as the leaders of the two

allies prepared to meet.

"We are convinced that our acquisition plan is the best

proposal for U.S. Steel, and I hope that the (Japanese Prime

Minister Shigeru) Ishiba-Trump meeting will convey that to Trump

and open the way for a deal," Takahiro Mori, Nippon Steel's ( NISTF ) vice

chairman, told reporters on Thursday.

Meta Platforms' ( META ) Mark Zuckerberg and FedEx ( FDX )

Executive Chairman and Founder Frederick Smith were also at the

White House for meetings on Thursday. It remained unclear if

they met Trump.

A Meta spokesperson said on social media platform X

Zuckerberg was at the White House to discuss how Meta can help

the administration advance American tech leadership abroad.

(Reporting by Nandita Bose, Steve Holland, Jasper Ward; Editing

by Franklin Paul, Doina Chiacu, David Gregorio and Muralikumar

Anantharaman)