Donald Trump flanked by tech billionaires at inauguration

That is a shift from tradition, especially for a president who has characterised himself as a champion of the working class

Mon, 20 Jan, 2025 - 19:25

Ali Swenson, Associated Press

Some of the most exclusive seats at US President Donald Trump’s inauguration were reserved for powerful tech chief executives who also happen to be among the world’s richest men.

That is a shift from tradition, especially for a president who has characterised himself as a champion of the working class.

Seats so close to the president are usually reserved for the president’s family, past presidents and other honoured guests.

Priscilla Chan, Mark Zuckerberg, Lauren Sanchez, Jeff Bezos, Sundar Pichai and Elon Musk at the 60th Presidential Inauguration in the Rotunda of the US Capitol in Washington (Chip Somodevilla/Pool Photo via AP)

Photos show the tech chief executives mingling with several of Mr Trump’s picks for the cabinet, including Robert F Kennedy Jr as health secretary and Marco Rubio as secretary of state.

In one image, Mr Rubio looks on from the background, facing a line-up of tech’s wealthiest leaders.

Meta chief executive Mark Zuckerberg and his wife Priscilla Chan stood beside Amazon chief executive Jeff Bezos and his fiancee, Lauren Sanchez, along with Google chief executive Sundar Pichai and Elon Musk, one of Mr Trump’s closest advisers.

The world’s wealthiest person, Mr Musk also runs Tesla, SpaceX and the social platform X.

Also at the Capitol for the day’s events were Apple chief executive Tim Cook and TikTok chief executive Shou Zi Chew.

Sundar Pichai, Shou Zi Chew, Tim Cook and Elon Musk speak to each other at the conclusion of the 60th Presidential Inauguration in Washington (Saul Loeb/Pool photo via AP)

The mega-rich have long had a prominent role in national politics, and several billionaires helped bankroll the campaign of Mr Trump’s Democratic opponent, vice president Kamala Harris.

Mr Biden recently gave the Presidential Medal of Freedom to George Soros, a billionaire donor to liberal causes.

But the inaugural display highlights the unusually direct role the world’s wealthiest people are likely to have in the new administration.

In his outgoing address, then-president Joe Biden warned that the US was becoming an oligarchy of tech billionaires wielding dangerous levels of power and influence on the nation.

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