Who has been invited? The world’s far-right populists are packing the guest list for Trump’s inauguration – POLITICO

While the European centrist mainstream has been sidelined – European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has conspicuously not been invited – plenty of space has been given to far-right and nationalist politicians. British anti-EU populist Nigel Farage will be there, as will French firebrand Éric Zemmour, Belgium’s Tom Van Grieken and former Polish prime minister Mateusz Morawiecki, who clashed with Brussels in a long-running rule of law row.

Among them will be a smattering of ministers, diplomats and foreign policymakers eager to get close to the next US president.

Nothing about this is completely normal, said Edward Frantz, chairman of the history and political science department at the University of Indianapolis, noting that “the ceremony and the procedure is really a purely domestic affair.” In fact, US State Department data shows no examples of foreign leaders attending the ceremony (although experts cautioned that the data may be incomplete).

However, there is a common ideological thread to his invitees: Many come from the right or even the extreme right of the political spectrum, or are leaders Trump has previously praised. In that sense, the inauguration reveals much about the political trajectory of his administration — and about who might have the president’s ear once he’s installed in the White House.

Meloni and Milei the show

At the top of the guest list are leaders such as Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Milei, the Trump-like populist who won Argentina’s presidency in 2023. The latter – who is billed as a “titan of economic reform” on a pre-inauguration flyer. “Official Latin American Inaugural Ball” – confirmed his attendance a month ago.

Meloni, who visited Mar-a-Lago earlier this month and was dubbed an “amazing woman” by Trump, has received an invitation and will attend the ceremony if her schedule allows, her office said. Also invited: Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, an admirer of Russian President Vladimir Putin, known as the “bad boy” of European politics. Orbán will not be able to handle it, his office told Hungarian media.