Prominent billionaires are gathering to strengthen their ties with incoming President Donald Trump during next week’s inauguration festivities. Leading figures such as Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, and others are expected to arrive in Washington.
Three of the richest individuals in the world plan to attend. Amazon founder Jeff Bezos (whose fortune Forbes estimates at $235.3 billion) and Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg ($212.6 billion) will reportedly join Elon Musk ($429.8 billion), CEO of Tesla, the world’s wealthiest man and a close Trump ally, on the inaugural stage. Musk spent over a quarter-billion dollars supporting Trump’s victory in the November election.
“The Second Lineup”
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman ($1.1 billion), a donor to the inauguration, also plans to attend the event. Zuckerberg will host a reception before the Inaugural Ball, joined by Trump-supporting billionaires like Miriam Adelson ($31.8 billion), Tilman Fertitta ($10.2 billion), and Todd Ricketts, whose father, J. Joe Ricketts, and family are worth approximately $4 billion.
Trump himself is estimated to have a net worth of $6.8 billion, derived from his stake in Truth Social’s parent company, real estate investments, and other assets.
Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong ($11.9 billion) has been invited to inauguration-related events, according to Bloomberg, though it is unclear if he will attend the swearing-in ceremony. Other billionaires and their spouses reportedly offered high-ranking positions in Trump’s administration have not confirmed their attendance. These include 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 (whose husband Vince McMahon is worth $3 billion), and Kelly Loeffler (whose husband Jeff Sprecher is worth $1 billion).
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Who Donated to the Ceremony
Apple CEO Tim Cook ($2.3 billion) personally donated $1 million to the inauguration but has not confirmed his attendance. Dozens of other Trump-supporting billionaires have also yet to confirm their presence, including Robert “Woody” Johnson ($3.3 billion), Elizabeth and Richard Uihlein ($5.9 billion each), Roger Penske ($6.4 billion), and Timothy Mellon (whose family is worth $14.1 billion).
Other corporate leaders plan to attend the inauguration, including Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla and Walmart CEO Doug McMillon, according to The Wall Street Journal. Events during the inauguration weekend include an “Inaugural Crypto Ball” with Snoop Dogg and a party hosted by Uber and its CEO Dara Khosrowshahi.
Coca-Cola CEO James Quincey presented Trump with the “first Presidential Commemorative Diet Coke Bottle” on Tuesday. Microsoft, Ford, Google, and AI startup Perplexity each donated $1 million to the inauguration fund. Ripple, a cryptocurrency company, contributed $5 million worth of cryptocurrency. Other major donors include Goldman Sachs, Intuit, Toyota, the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, General Motors, Bank of America, AT&T, and Stanley Black & Decker, according to the Journal.
A Well-Funded Event
It is believed Trump’s inauguration fund has raised over $170 million—nearly three times the $62 million collected for President Joe Biden’s inauguration four years ago and significantly surpassing the previous record of $107 million raised for Trump’s 2016 inauguration. Donors who contributed $1 million or raised $2 million from others reportedly received six tickets to a series of events leading up to the inauguration, including a “candlelight dinner” with Trump and Melania Trump, as well as the ball.
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Source: Forbes Srbija, Photo: REUTERS/Fabrizio Bensch