(Corrects that Jeff Bezos is Chairman of Amazon (NASDAQ:), not CEO)
Written by Stephanie Kelly
(Reuters) – Tech billionaires, foreign diplomats and CEOs accompanied U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday, with many of them attending St. John's Church in Washington and sitting prominently on the dais of the U.S. Capitol before his speech.
The church service, usually a low-profile part of Inauguration Day, quickly turned into a “who's who” parade for some of the nation's — and the world's — richest individuals, with attendees entering a downtown church near the White House. The embrace of Trump by tech executives, including billionaires like Elon Musk in Trump's inner circle, has become a major theme of Trump's transition to power, and sparked warnings from former President Joe Biden.
Below is a non-exhaustive list of some of those in attendance on Inauguration Day.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk
Musk, the world's richest man and chairman of Tesla (NASDAQ:), SpaceX, and X, has spent more than a quarter of a billion dollars to help elect Trump in November. Trump has appointed Musk to lead a department aimed at creating a more efficient economy. United States Government.
He arrived at the church service alone.
TIKTOK CEO Xu Ziqiu
A day before Trump's inauguration, TikTok thanked him for what they said was his role in restoring the app's service to American users. While TikTok faced a ban on Sunday in the US, Trump said he would restore access to the app in the US when he returns to power on Monday, adding that the US would seek to create a joint venture to restore the short-video sharing app used by 170 million people. Americans.
META CEO Mark Zuckerberg
Since Trump's election in November, Zuckerberg has announced that his social media company Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:) has scrapped its fact-checking program in the US and reduced restrictions on discussions on controversial topics such as immigration and gender identity, bowing to criticism from Trump's conservative supporters. . Zuckerberg has tried to mend relations with the new administration, while Trump has vowed in the past to imprison the CEO.
Zuckerberg arrived at the church with his wife, Priscilla Chan, a pediatrician.
Miriam Adelson
casino (EPA:) Billionaire Republican megadonor Adelson led the super PAC Save America, which boosted Trump. Born in Israel, Adelson and her husband, Sheldon, were key supporters of Trump's first presidential victory.
Indian billionaire Mukesh Ambani
Ambani is the richest man in India Reliance Industries (NSE:), India's most valuable company engaged in businesses including energy and retail. Ambani also attended Trump's inauguration.
Arnott family
LVMH CEO Bernard Arnault attended with his wife, Hélène Mercier, and two of his sons, Delphine Arnault and Alexandre Arnault. All five of Arnault's children hold senior positions in his luxury goods group, the largest in the world. Delphine Arnault heads the fashion brand Dior, while Alexandre, who played a key role in the rebranding of the American jewelry brand. Tiffany & Co (NYSE:) returns to France from the US to help manage the group's wine and spirits division. The Arnault family is the richest family in France, with its stake in LVMH worth around $200 billion.
Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos
Bezos, who runs the rocket company Blue Origin and the Washington Post, defended his newspaper's decision not to endorse a US presidential candidate before this year's elections. The decision prohibited endorsement of Trump's political rival, Kamala Harris.
Amazon will stream Trump's inauguration on its Prime Video service. Bezos' fiancée, Lauren Sanchez, arrived with him at the Capitol building.
Google CEO Sundar Pichai
Alphabet (NASDAQ:) Google, along with other companies like Amazon and Meta, donated $1 million each to Trump's inaugural fund. Experts said Trump is likely to roll back some of the antitrust policies pursued under former President Joe Biden, including an attempt to break up Google due to its dominance in online search.
Former UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson
Johnson, who Trump once called “British Trump,” met with Trump in 2023 to discuss the “vital importance of Ukraine's victory” over the Russian invasion. Johnson was keen to appear as one of Ukraine's most ardent supporters in its war against Russia.
