Ambani, Zuckerberg, Bezos go to church, party via Reuters

(It’s fair to say Jeff Bezos is Amazon’s (NASDAQ:) chairman, not CEO)

Posted by Stephanie Kelly

(Reuters) – Tech billionaires, foreign diplomats and CEOs mourned U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday, with several attending St. John’s in Washington and sat prominently on the stage of the US Capitol before his speech.

The church’s often overlooked Inauguration Day service quickly became a “who’s who” parade for some of the United States’ – and the world’s richest people, in attendance. from church they go to a church in the city near the White House. The acceptance of Trump’s tech executives, including billionaires like Elon Musk in Trump’s inner circle, has become a major theme of Trump’s transition to power, and has prompted warnings from former President Joe Biden.

Below is a partial list of some of the 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 tap Musk to lead a department aimed at creating a more efficient workplace. US government.

He came to the church service alone.

CEO TIKTOK SHOW ZI HLAFU

A day before Trump’s inauguration, TikTok thanked him for what they said was his role in restoring the app’s service to American users. As TikTok faced a ban on Sunday in the United States, Trump said he would restore access to the app in the US when he returns to power on Monday, adding that the US would seek a joint venture to bring back the video-sharing app. Short used by 170 million Americans.

CEO of META MARK ZUCKERBERG

Since Trump’s election in November, Zuckerberg announced that his social media company Meta Platforms (NASDAQ: controversial topics such as immigration and gender identity, which has drawn criticism from Trump’s conservative supporters. . Zuckerberg has tried to mend the fence with a new administration, while Trump has previously vowed 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 key supporters of Trump’s first presidential victory.

INDIAN BILLIONAIRE MUKESH AMBANI

Ambani, the richest man in India, head Reliance Industries (NSE:), India’s largest company involved in businesses including energy and retail. Ambani also attended Trump’s first inauguration.

Sir ARNAULT

LVMH CEO Bernard Arnault attended with his wife Helene Mercier and his two children, Delphine Arnault and Alexandre Arnault. All five of Arnault’s children hold prominent positions in his luxury goods group, the largest in the world. Delphine Arnault heads the Dior fashion label, while Alexandre, who has played a key role in translating his brand to American jewelry. Tiffany & Co (NYSE:), is returning to France from the United States to help run the group’s wine and spirits division. The Arnault family is the richest in France, owning LVMH assets of about $200 billion.

AMAZON DEPUTY JEFF BEZOS

Bezos, who runs the rocket company Blue Origin and the Washington Post newspaper, defended his paper’s decision not to endorse a US presidential candidate ahead of this year’s election. That decision blocked the endorsement of Trump’s political opponent Kamala Harris.

Amazon will stream Trump’s inauguration on its Prime Video service. Bezos’ girlfriend Lauren Sanchez arrived at the Capitol with him.

GOOGLE CEO SUNDR PICHAI

Alphabet (NASDAQ:)’s Google, along with other companies such as Amazon and Meta, have given $1 million to Trump’s startup fund. Trump is likely to roll back some of the antitrust policies pursued under former President Joe Biden, which could include a move to break up Google over its search power, experts said.

BRITAIN’S HISTORY PRIME MINISTER BORIS JOHNSON

Johnson, who was once called “British Trump” by Trump himself, met with Trump in 2023 to discuss the “critical importance of the victory of Ukraine” over its invasion by Russia. Johnson was eager to make a name for himself as one of Ukraine’s staunchest supporters of their war against Russia.