Trump’s inauguration will feature these billionaires: Musk, Zuckerberg and more

On January 20, 2025By Littum

Upper line

Big-name billionaires are lining up to strengthen their relationship with President-elect Donald Trump during next week’s inauguration festivities, as top dogs like Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos and more are expected to appear in Washington, DC

Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, left, and Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg.

AFP via Getty Images

Key facts

The world’s three richest people will participate: Amazon founder Jeff Bezos (worth $235.3 billion according to Forbes estimates) and Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg ($212.6 billion) will reportedly sit together in the consecration square next door Elon Musk ($429.8 billion), Tesla’s CEO, the world’s richest person and the president’s confidant used over a quarter of a billion dollars to help Trump win the November election.

director of OpenAI Sam Altman ($1.1 billion) who donated to the inauguration, reportedly planning to attend the event.

Zuckerberg is also co-hosting a ball before the inauguration reception for Trump along with billionaire backers Miriam Adelson ($31.8 billion), Tilman Fertitta ($10.2 billion) and Todd Ricketts, whose father J. Joe Ricketts and family is worth an estimated $4 billion.

Trump himself is worth an estimated $6.8 billion thanks to his stake in Truth Social’s parent company, his real estate investments and other assets.

Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong ($11.9 billion) were invited to inauguration-related events, according to Bloombergwho did not specify whether he will attend the swearing-in ceremony.

Several other billionaires and their spouses have been offered top roles in the Trump administration, but their participation has not been confirmed: Stephen Feinberg ($5 billion), Warren Stephens ($3.3 billion), Jared Isaacman ($1.7 billion), Howard Lutnick ($1.5 billion), Vivek Ramaswamy ($1 billion), Steve Witkoff ($1 billion), Linda McMahon (husband Vince McMahon is worth $3 billion) and Kelly Loeffler (husband Jeff Sprecher is worth $1 billion).

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Which other billionaires could participate?

Apple’s CEO Tim Cook (US$2.3 billion) personally donated US$1 million to the inauguration, but it is unclear whether he will attend the event. Dozens of other billionaires also backed Trump on his path to a second term, who have not been confirmed as participants, including Robert “Woody” Johnson ($3.3 billion), Elizabeth and Richard Uihlein (each worth $5.9 billion), Roger Penske ($6.4 billion) and Timothy Mellon (the family was worth $14.1 billion).

Did billionaires like Musk, Bezos and Zuckerberg support Trump’s campaign?

Some of them did, but others either stayed out of the presidential race or were Trump enemies before they started trying to make nice. Zuckerberg’s Meta has previously banned Trump from Instagram and Facebook – and Trump once threatened to send him to prison – before he fell in line after the election results. Since then, Zuckerberg has donated $1 million to his first foundation, met with Trump at Mar-A-Lago, made changes to how their platforms fact-check posts and put Trump’s friend Dana White on Meta’s board. In the run-up to the election, Zuckerberg didn’t endorse a candidate, but did call Trump’s response to his assassination attempt “badass”. Bezos also has a history of clashing with Trump: Amazon in 2019 blamed Trump’s “personal dislike” of Bezos for losing a multibillion-dollar cloud computing contract with the Pentagon, and Trump has been critical of Bezos-owned Washington Mail. Bezos did not endorse Trump last year, but said he “showed tremendous grace and courage under literal fire” after the assassination attempt and donated $1 million to the initial fund. Others have supported him all along. Musk is among Trump’s biggest donors, along with Adelson, the widow of billionaire Las Vegas Sands CEO Sheldon Adelson, who donated $100 million to the pro-Trump super PAC Preserve America during the election. Fertitta, owner of the Houston Rockets and Landry’s restaurant group, has been nominated to serve as U.S. ambassador to Italy after the Texas billionaire hosted a fundraiser for Trump last year. Ricketts, a part owner of the Chicago Cubs, has been one larger collection for Republican politicians, and while he initially raised money in the party against Trump during his first campaign, he ultimately went on to spearhead pro-Trump fundraising in 2020 and last year.

Key

Other company leaders plan to attend the dedication, including Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla and Walmart CEO Doug McMillon, according to The Wall Street Journal. Other supporters are holding events around Washington during inauguration weekend, including an “Inaugural Crypto Ball” that will feature Snoop Dogg and a party hosted by Uber and its CEO Dara Khosrowshahi. James Quincey, CEO of the Coca-Cola Company, on Tuesday Trump presented with the “first-ever Presidential Inauguration Coke bottle.” Microsoft, Ford, Google and AI search startup Perplexity also donated $1 million to the first fund. Ripplea crypto company, gave $5 million of its cryptocurrency to the inaugural committee. Other major donors include Goldman Sachs, Intuit, Toyota, Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, General Motors, Bank of America, AT&T and Stanley Black & Decker. Journal reported.

big number

More than 170 million dollars. That’s how much Trump’s initial fund is believed to be have traveled nearly three times the $62 million raised by President Joe Biden four years ago and well above the previous record of $107 million set by Trump’s inauguration in 2016. Donors who gave $1 million or raised $2 million from others, was allegedly given six tickets to a variety of events in the days leading up to the inauguration, including a “candlelight dinner” with Trump and Melania Trump and a black-tie ball.

What to look for

The big weekend. The inauguration ceremony for Trump and Vice President-elect JD Vance is scheduled for Monday at 12 EST, but the inauguration events officially begin on Saturday. The weekend will include a “victory rally” at Capitol One Arena in Washington and a tea with the Bidens and Trumps at the White House, and Trump is expected to speak at three different balls Monday night. Carrie Underwood will perform at the official ceremony and the Village People will perform at several opening events. Barack Obama, George W. Bush and Bill Clinton will attend the inauguration, as will former First Lady Laura Bush and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Michelle Obama will not attend.