President-elect Donald Trump was joined by a parade of tech billionaires and key members of his orbit as he kicked off his inauguration, which included a church service Monday morning.
Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, Meta boss Mark Zuckerberg, Apple leader Tim Cook, Google chairman Sundar Pichai and others were seen sitting in special seats at St. John’s Church. .
Media mogul Rupert Murdoch, FIFA president Gianni Infantino and former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson were also spotted at the church.
Many of these executives were among the first business leaders to criticize Trump during his first term, speaking out on issues such as climate change and immigration.
Several tech billionaires, including SpaceX and Tesla boss Elon Musk, joined President Trump in the Capitol rotunda and stared at the ornate ceiling for a few seconds.
Musk spent nearly $300 million on his presidential campaign and has been close to the president’s side ever since.
TikTok CEO Shou Tze Chow is also expected to attend the inauguration, along with OpenAI’s Sam Altman and Uber’s Dara Khosrowshahi as they deal with the fallout from the US ban. It is being
Reuters
It’s an impressive sight. The last public event in Washington that brought together the heads of so many technology companies in the same room was the 2020 Congressional hearing for their companies.
Currently, most companies still have serious outstanding issues with the U.S. government, including antitrust cases, investigations, regulatory battles, and tariffs.
Last week, Democratic U.S. Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Michael Bennet shared a letter to executives, warning that executives were “coddling with the incoming Trump administration to avoid oversight, limit regulation, and buy favors.” “I’m trying to do it,” he accused.
Altman responded on social media: “Funny thing is they didn’t send me any of these because they donated to the Democratic Party.”
Getty ImagesQuestions remain about how long the tech bromance will last and how far President Trump will push many of these issues.
But the president, who was the first to leave office as something of a pariah in the business world, appears to be enjoying his new position.
He wrote on social media last month: “Everyone wants to be my friend!!!”
President Trump has developed friendships with tech executives, but he doesn’t get along with anyone around him.
Former President Trump’s White House chief strategist Steve Bannon on Sunday called Musk a “true bad guy” and vowed to “get him out of here by Inauguration Day.”
“I think most people in our movement look at this and see that President Trump has defeated the oligarchy, defeated the oligarchy, and they have surrendered,” Bannon told ABC News. spoke.
