By Stephanie Kelly
(Reuters) – Tech billionaires, foreign diplomats and CEOs shadowed U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday, with several attending St. John’s Church in Washington and seated prominently on the dais in the U.S. Capitol ahead of his speech.
The church service, typically a little-noticed part of Inauguration Day, quickly became a “who’s who” parade of some of the United States’ – and the world’s – wealthiest individuals, as attendees entered the downtown church near the White House. Tech executives’ embrace of Trump, including billionaires such as Elon Musk in Trump’s inner circle, has become a major theme of Trump’s transition into power, and sparked warnings from former President Joe Biden.
Below is a non-exhaustive list of some Inauguration Day attendees.
TESLA CEO ELON MUSK
Musk, the world’s richest man and head of Tesla (NASDAQ:), SpaceX and X, spent more than a quarter of a billion dollars to help elect Trump in November, and Trump has tapped Musk to lead a department aimed at creating a more efficient U.S. government.
He arrived at the church service alone.
TIKTOK CEO SHOU ZI CHEW
One day before Trump’s inauguration, TikTok thanked him for what they said was his role in restoring service of the app to American users. As TikTok faced a Sunday ban in the U.S., Trump said he would revive the app’s access in the U.S. when he returned to power on Monday, adding that the U.S. will seek a joint venture to restore the short-video sharing app used by 170 million Americans.
META CEO MARK ZUCKERBERG
Since Trump was elected in November, Zuckerberg announced that his social-media company Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:) scrapped its U.S. fact-checking program and reduced curbs on discussions around contentious topics such as immigration and gender identity, bowing to criticism from Trump’s conservative supporters. Zuckerberg has tried to mend fences with the new administration, while Trump in the past pledged to imprison the CEO.
Zuckerberg arrived at the church with his wife, Priscilla Chan, a pediatrician.
MIRIAM ADELSON
Casino (EPA:) billionaire and Republican mega-donor Adelson led the Preserve America super PAC, which boosted Trump. Born in Israel, Adelson and her husband Sheldon were crucial backers in Trump’s first presidential win.
INDIAN BILLIONAIRE MUKESH AMBANI
Ambani, the richest man in India, heads Reliance Industries (NSE:), India’s most valuable company involved in businesses including energy and…
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