All living former US Presidents gathered in the Rotunda of the US Capitol to attend the second inauguration of President Trump, continuing a tradition that has only been interrupted once since 1869 (by Trump himself eight years ago).
But across the aisle—directly behind Trump—sat another group that might have been even more eye-catching than the former presidents: the CEOs of the world's largest tech companies.
Five of the "big bosses" of the American tech "Big Seven" were present to watch Trump take the oath of office and deliver a 30-minute inaugural speech outlining his plans to transform Washington.
These executives all welcomed the incoming president and supported his political ambitions with substantial donations.
They are Tesla CEO Elon Musk, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, Apple CEO Tim Cook, and Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai.
Luxury group LVMH boss Bernard Arnault; billionaire investor John Paulson; India's richest man Ambani; Google co-founder Sergey Brin; and media mogul, News Corp president Rupert Murdoch, among others.
Other global business figures attending the ceremony included:
(Five of the world's top ten billionaires attended Trump's inauguration)
TikTok CEO Zhou Shouzi also attended Trump's inauguration. Just a day earlier, Trump promised to issue an executive order allowing TikTok to continue operating in the US.
According to industry insiders, the total market value of the companies owned by these "wealthy group" sitting in the front row exceeds $12 trillion, and their personal fortunes also exceed $1 trillion.
"Wealthy group" sits closer to the front than cabinet members
In this inauguration ceremony, a surprising detail was that many tech billionaires were seated in front of Trump's nominated cabinet members, with some of their spouses even occupying seats traditionally held by governors and congress members.
This has led some critics, like outgoing President Biden, to worry about the prevalence of oligarchy in the US.
Prominent Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren expressed on social media, "Billionaires from big tech companies sat in the front row at Trump's inauguration. Their seats were even better than those of the cabinet members Trump himself picked. This says it all."
Musk spent at least $200 million to mobilize voters to support Trump's re-election, and Trump appointed the world's richest man to manage his government efficiency department (DOGE). Shortly after Trump's youngest son Barron took his seat in the second row, he turned around and shook hands with Musk.
Indeed, since Trump's election a month ago, many well-known business leaders have been actively aligning with him, which is no longer a secret.
Throughout the speech, Musk was frequently seen on TV. When Trump mentioned going to Mars in his inaugural speech on Monday, Musk laughed, clapped, and gave a thumbs up.
Zuckerberg also recently promised to "work with President Trump" to change the ecosystem of his social networks Facebook and Instagram. Facebook and Instagram have been accused of anti-conservative bias, especially after the Capitol attack in January 2021, when Trump's account was temporarily banned by Facebook. Zuckerberg recently adjusted Facebook's fact-checking process to restore "free speech" on the platform.
Days after Trump's first term began in 2017, Google co-founder Sergey Brin joined protests against the new government's immigration policies, warning that these policies threatened America's "fundamental values."
But on Monday, he also sat in the golden seats at Trump's second inauguration, praising the president who promised to deport millions of immigrants, use the US judicial system to pursue political opponents, and impose comprehensive tariffs.
At the luncheon, Apple CEO Tim Cook was seen sitting with the incoming Attorney General Pam Bondi. Shortly after Trump entered the Rotunda, he shook hands with Cook. Bezos sat with Republican Senate Majority Leader John Thune.
The lineup of wealthy attendees from Silicon Valley, Wall Street, and other industries highlights the surge in support from these sectors after Trump's electoral upset victory in November last year. This inauguration also highlighted Trump's deepening ties with these business giants, as well as the shift in stance by business leaders who previously despised him.
Undoubtedly, from antitrust policies to deregulation, these CEOs stand to gain a lot from Trump's decisions as a national leader.
"Many business leaders were against Trump in the past," Missouri accountant Paul Kirby said, "All these business leaders basically capitulated... (Trump) took control, and he regained power."
