Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, and Mark Zuckerberg are all set to attend Donald Trump’s inauguration next week, strengthening their ties with the incoming president. NBC News reported on Tuesday that the three tech moguls will be seated alongside Trump’s cabinet nominees during the January 20 ceremony.
Here’s a closer look at each of the billionaires and their stances:
Elon Musk:
CEO of Tesla, SpaceX, and owner of X, Musk has become one of Trump’s closest allies. He shares Trump’s right-wing politics and has supported him with millions of dollars in campaign contributions. Musk’s political alignment with Trump is no secret, and his attendance at the inauguration is not surprising.
Jeff Bezos:
Bezos has had a rocky relationship with Trump, primarily due to Amazon’s competition for lucrative government contracts and Trump’s frequent criticism of his media outlet, The Washington Post. Despite this, Bezos has made recent efforts to engage with the president-elect, including meetings at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort. His attendance signals a potential thaw in their relationship.
Mark Zuckerberg:
Zuckerberg has been shifting his political stance, with his recent announcement that Facebook and Instagram will stop fact-checking content in the U.S. seen as aligning with Trump’s rhetoric. While Zuckerberg has not been as close to Trump as Musk, his political pivot and growing involvement in Republican circles—including co-hosting a post-inauguration reception—show his attempt to build stronger ties with the president-elect.
The attendance of these three tech giants at Trump’s inauguration marks a significant moment in the relationship between the tech industry and U.S. politics. Their presence underscores the increasing influence of Silicon Valley in shaping political discourse, with each billionaire leveraging their wealth and power to align with or influence the new administration. This shift may not only affect future business regulations and policies but also highlight the growing intersection between tech leadership and political power.