US President-elect Donald Trump has broken with traditional US foreign policy by inviting global leaders to his inauguration ceremony, an event that typically only includes domestic figures. Notably, Chinese President Xi Jinping has been invited, though he will not attend personally. Instead, he is expected to send a senior envoy, likely either Han Zheng or Foreign Minister Wang Yi, though this has yet to be confirmed, according to News18.
India’s External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar will represent the country at the ceremony. The inaugural committee, led by the Trump-Vance team, has extended invitations to leaders who share Trump’s ideological stance, such as Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Argentinian President Javier Milei, El Salvador President Nayib Bukele, and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban. Former leaders like ousted Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro have also been invited and expressed interest in attending, as has far-right French politician Eric Zemmour.
On the financial front, major tech companies are making substantial contributions to the inauguration, with Meta, Amazon, and OpenAI’s CEO Sam Altman each donating $1 million. The New York Times reported that the inaugural committee has already raised over $170 million, with the possibility of surpassing $200 million.
High-profile tech leaders, including Altman, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, and Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi, are expected to attend. Additionally, companies such as Uber, Elon Musk’s X, and The Free Press are organizing an inauguration party in Washington. Other notable guests include Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong and Musk, a key Trump ally, who is expected to participate in multiple events.
Regarding ticket availability, there has been a high demand that led to the depletion of VIP passes for major donors. Reports from The New York Times indicate that invitations for large contributions have been rendered inactive, despite initial plans to keep sales open until Friday. As a result, those seeking to attend will now need to secure general admission tickets through congressional offices. While top-tier donors contributing $1 million or more were initially promised six premium tickets to various inaugural events, the limited supply has led to adjustments in ticket distribution.
