Donald Trump began his 2016 presidential campaign by descending a golden elevator. Wealth is baked into his public persona, and it will be on full display during his second presidential inauguration, taking place on January 20. Many of the world’s wealthiest elites will be in attendance, including several of the billionaires whose backing helped make this second Trump inauguration possible. One star guest will hardly be a surprise: Tesla and X CEO Elon Musk has been a complicated but critical ally of the President-Elect. Here’s how some of the world’s deepest pockets are spending their time and money.
World’s Wealthiest Plan Inauguration Attendance
In the past, Musk has clashed with Trump and his team due to differing economic visions (amongst other reasons). Boasting a fortune of $427.7 billion according to Forbes’ estimate, however, Elon Musk is the wealthiest person in the world. While his ideological support for Trump may be inconsistent, he’s reportedly spent $250 million backing Trump’s reelection efforts. One of the biggest question marks remains how the relationship between Musk and Trump will change after Trump reclaims the Oval Office. While Musk will be the wealthiest guest, the list of billionaires attending the Trump inauguration doesn’t end there.
The world’s second richest person, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos ($236.8 billion), will be there, too. The third richest, Meta founder Mark Zuckerberg ($211.1 billion), reportedly also plans to attend. Trump’s other billionaire supporters include Miriam Adelson ($31.8 billion), Tilman Fertitta ($10.2 billion), and Sam Altman ($1.1 billion). In addition to the inauguration, Trump’s donors have planned a variety of other ritzy events. That includes a ball co-hosted by Zuckerberg and Adelson. The backdrop to these lavish parties? The ongoing social media debate over tariffs, wages, and capitalist exploitation in the U.S. I can already hear the Hunger Games memes queuing. Let’s hope they RSVP’d.
