Trump inauguration guest list includes tech titans Mark Zuckerberg, Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk
2025-01-17
Category: political

President-elect Trump's inauguration guest list will include some of America's most influential billionaires, including Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Amazon founder Jeff Bezos—signaling a sharp political shift among the tech industry's biggest players. Silicon Valley, traditionally a stronghold for left-leaning ideals, has largely embraced Trump following the November election. The incoming president amassed a record-breaking inaugural fund with substantial donations from tech executives. The heads of companies such as Google, OpenAI, Apple, Uber, and Microsoft have also forked over millions to fund inaugural events, including parades and swanky parties. Several high-profile tech titans visited Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort in the past two months. MICHELLE OBAMA SKIPPING TRUMP INAUGURATION TO AVOID HAVING TO 'PRETEND FOR PROTOCOL'S SAKE:' REPORTS  "Jeff Bezos came," Trump said last week. "Bill Gates came. Mark Zuckerberg came. Many of them came numerous times. The bankers have all come. Everybody is coming." The move represents a major departure for Big Tech, which largely imposed a temporary ban on Trump's public profiles in 2020 via their social media platforms. These companies have also become more critical of the Biden administration, voicing displeasure with the White House's attempts at oversight. Mark Zuckerberg  Following a long and testy relationship, Zuckerberg has made a substantial effort to ingratiate himself with Trump, recently rescinding progressive corporate policies. Zuckerberg recently told podcast host Joe Rogan that he is done with "culturally neutered "elements of corporate America and said his company would embrace "masculine energy" in the future. The conversation occurred the same day that Meta ended its diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs, a decision that is in line with many other American companies. The policy includes an order to remove tampons from men's restrooms. The tech giant will reportedly remove transgender and nonbinary customization themes from its Messenger app and will change its "Hateful Conduct" policies to allow criticism of gender identity. JASON ALDEAN, KID ROCK JOIN CARRIE UNDERWOOD AT TRUMP INAUGURATION EVENTS Meta also announced an end to its controversial fact-checking policies, with Zuckerberg saying, "It's time to get back to our roots of free expression on Facebook and Instagram." Fact-checkers will be replaced by Community Notes that are "similar to X." After hearing the news, Trump told Fox News Digital that Meta had "come a long way." Meanwhile, Trump ally UFC CEO Dana White joined Meta's board last week. Zuckerberg visited Trump's Palm Beach, Florida, club in late November as part of a widespread pilgrimage of tech leaders. He also donated $1 million to Trump's inaugural fund. In July, Zuckerberg lauded Trump for his defiant, fist-pumping reaction to the July 13 assassination attempt against him in Butler, Pennsylvania. "Seeing Donald Trump get up after getting shot in the face and pump his fist in the air with the American flag is one of the most bada-- things I've ever seen in my life," Zuckerberg told Bloomberg, just days after the shooting took place. Jeff Bezos  Bezos will be seated front and center at the inauguration dais along with other VIP guests and fellow tech executives Zuckerberg, X owner Elon Musk, and TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew. Bezos, who owns the Washington Post, and Trump have feuded in the past, often over the newspaper's coverage of Trump. He faced significant backlash from both employees and subscribers when he nixed the liberal newspaper's planned endorsement of Vice President Kamala Harris days before the 2024 election. Bezos has dismissed claims that he didn't want his paper to endorse Harris because Trump could hold a grudge against his companies. He even suggested that he likes what he's seen from Trump since his November victory. CARRIE UNDERWOOD TO PERFORM ‘AMERICA THE BEAUTIFUL’ AT TRUMP INAUGURATION "I'm very optimistic that President Trump is serious about [his] regulatory agenda and I think he has a good chance of succeeding," Bezos said in December. "He seems to have a lot of energy around reducing regulation, and my point of view, if I can help him do that, I'm going to help him." That same month, Bezos sat down with Trump for dinner. Musk made an appearance at the evening meal, calling it a "great conversation," according to The Washington Post. Musk and Bezos both compete for NASA contracts through their space companies, SpaceX and Blue Origin. Bezos, the chairman and founder of Amazon, is the second-richest man in the world, with a net worth of $233.1 billion. His company donated $1 million to Trump's inaugural fund. Shou Zi Chew  Chew is expected to accept an invitation from Trump to attend his inauguration. The inauguration on Jan. 20 will come one day after TikTok plans to shut down operations within the U.S. According to the Washington Post, Trump is now considering an executive order to suspend enforcement of the law requiring TikTok to divest from Chinese-owned ByteDance or face a ban in the U.S. for 60 to 90 days. This would buy time to negotiate a sale or some other solution. Trump's defense of TikTok marks a reversal from his position in 2020 when he tried to block the video-sharing app in the U.S. and force its sale to a U.S. company. "I have a warm spot in my heart for TikTok," Trump said last month. The incoming president has more than 14 million followers on the app. In December, he met with the Chew at his Mar-a-Lago resort. The Wall Street Journal reported, citing anonymous sources familiar with the matter, that Chew has contacted Musk, the owner of X, more than once to ask him about the new administration and Trump's potential tech policies. During early 2024 congressional hearings, lawmakers grilled the TikTok CEO. They cited concerns that China could use the app to download user data or otherwise push certain state-backed content on U.S. users. Sundar Pichai  Google and Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai is expected to attend Trump's inauguration, a person familiar with the matter told Reuters on Wednesday. Google was among the companies that donated $1 million to Trump's inauguration fund—a figure much higher than the $285,000 the company gave to inaugurations in 2016 and 2020. The company, which is facing two high-profile antitrust lawsuits brought forward by the Justice Department, may be attempting to win favor with Trump. Some lawmakers have singled out Google and YouTube's (both owned by Alphabet) content moderation policies, suggesting that they have a commanding ability to moderate the information Americans see daily. TRUMP SAYS FATE OF TIKTOK SHOULD BE IN HIS HANDS WHEN HE RETURNS TO WHITE HOUSE Republican Sen. Ted Cruz, the new chair of the Commerce Committee, recently told POLITICO, "Google is far and away the biggest player, and their impact on censoring speech is dramatic." At the New York Times DealBook Summit on Dec. 4, Pichai said the incoming administration creates a "real opportunity" to expand on artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure. "The rate at which we can build things. I think there are real areas where I think he's thinking about and committed to making a difference. So hopefully we can make progress there," he said. Sam Altman  "President Trump will lead our country into the age of AI, and I am eager to support his efforts to ensure America stays ahead," OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said in a written statement. Altman made a personal commitment of $1 million to the Presidential Inaugural Committee, as opposed to the gift coming directly from OpenAI. Altman, who revolutionized the artificial intelligence industry with the creation of ChatGPT, told "Fox News Sunday" in December that he is looking forward to working with the incoming Trump administration. He emphasized how "super important" it is for the U.S. and its allies to lead the charge on infrastructure that will support cutting-edge AI development, especially in the tech race against China. OpenAI recently unveiled an economic blueprint for AI that the company hopes will be accepted by the incoming administration and Congress. On Thursday, Altman will attend a pre-inauguration dinner in Washington, D.C., with a group of tech industry titans and venture capitalists. Like other tech leaders, Altman will also skip the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, OpenAI confirmed to Fox News Digital. Tim Cook  Apple CEO Tim Cook has fostered a close relationship with Trump over the years. He frequently called Trump when he was in office and sat in on meetings for the administration's Workforce Policy Advisory Board. Cook gifted Trump one of the first Mac Pros built at a new U.S. Apple facility in 2019 after Trump gave Apple an exemption from tariffs impacting Chinese imports. Trump said in October that Cook is a better Apple CEO than Steve Jobs and that the company wouldn't be "nearly as successful as it is now" if the late tech leader was still the face of Apple. TRUMP SETTING UP MEETING WITH PUTIN, IN COMMUNICATION WITH XI Cook, who had a more amicable relationship with Trump compared to some other tech leaders like Bezos during his first term, was quick to praise Trump after his election win last month. Trump said on the "PBD Podcast" last month that he wouldn't let European regulators "take advantage of our companies" after he said Cook called him, saying that Apple had been fined $2 billion over its App Store not allowing competition. Cook was one of the tech leaders who sat down with Trump in Florida last month. David Sacks  In a move that surprised many in the U.S. cryptocurrency industry, Trump announced last month the appointment of Silicon Valley tech entrepreneur David Sacks as the first-ever White House AI and crypto "czar." Sacks, 52, is a billionaire tech executive, venture capitalist, and podcaster who made his money developing a handful of successful tech companies, including PayPal and Yammer, a workplace social networking service he sold to Microsoft in 2012 for $1.2 billion. He is a close friend and ally of Tesla CEO Elon Musk, a top adviser to the president-elect who has his ear on many matters, including decision-making for key administration positions. He's also friendly with Vice President-elect J.D. Vance and was an early investor in Vance's venture capital firm Narya Capital. According to Trump, Sacks' responsibilities will include helping to craft a legal framework for the $3 trillion cryptocurrency industry and leading the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology, a group dedicated to advising the White House on policy related to technology and innovation. Elon Musk  By far, the tech industry leader closest to Trump is SpaceX, Tesla, and X owner Elon Musk, who endorsed Trump in July after his assassination attempt and has been by his side often since. Musk, the most outspoken tech billionaire, donated around $250 million to pro-Trump causes to help him get elected. Trump recently sided with Musk amid a MAGA base spat over immigration and the place of foreign workers in the U.S. labor market. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP&nbsp; Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, who Trump has tapped to lead his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), argued last month that American culture has not prioritized education enough and that foreign workers are needed for tech companies like Musk's SpaceX and Tesla.  According to the New York Times, Musk may occupy space in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building right next to the West Wing, which houses the bulk of office space for White House staffers, as part of his DOGE responsibilities. After a report that Trump was growing irritated with Musk's constant presence and headline-making, former White House aide Hogan Gidley told Fox News that it was a non-story. Fox News’ Sarah Rumpf-Whitten and Morgan Phillips contributed to this report.&nbsp;