Former presidents, politicians, tech giants, and world leaders will gather in Washington, D.C. on Monday for President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration. Although most departing presidents attend the inauguration of their successors, outgoing President Biden has confirmed he will attend Trump’s second inauguration, paralleling Trump’s absence from his predecessor’s inauguration four years ago.
All three living former presidents, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, and Barack Obama, have confirmed their attendance, along with their spouses, Laura Bush and Hillary Clinton. However, some prominent Democrats have announced they will skip the event, including former first lady Michelle Obama and former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi.
Tech giants like Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, and TikTok CEO Shou Chew will also attend, sitting alongside other VIP guests on the dais. Chew received an invitation from the Inaugural Committee, breaking the news.
President Trump has also extended invitations to several world leaders, including Chinese President Xi Jinping, although Jinping has declined the invitation in favor of sending Chinese Vice President Han Zheng. Trump also invited the presidents of Argentina and El Salvador, along with the Prime Minister of Hungary, although the latter will not attend. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni is expected to attend, and Argentine President Javier Milei has confirmed his attendance.
The inauguration will feature musical performances by Carrie Underwood, the Village People, and Lee Greenwood, with Underwood set to perform “America the Beautiful” during the swearing-in ceremony. The event will mark a unique appearance, as no foreign leaders have attended any U.S. inaugurations, according to State Department historical records.
