Donald Trump’s return to the White House, once seen as nearly impossible in the immediate aftermath of the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol, was boosted by ultra-wealthy political donors, tech titans and business moguls who opened their deep pockets — many of whom are expected to attend his second inauguration.
Some, such as Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg and OpenAI’s Sam Altman, are hopeful Trump will treat them more favorably than he has previously indicated. Donations from sports team owners and industry heirs also signal the billionaire class aligning with the incoming administration.
Here are a handful of the billionaires expected at the swearing-in.
A day after TikTok’s short-lived ban in the U.S., TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew is expected to be seated on the dais at the ceremony, a position of honor typically reserved for former presidents or other highly distinguished guests.
A trio of big tech bosses — Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos and Apple CEO Tim Cook —also have prime seats. Amazon and Meta each gave $1 million to Trump’s second inauguration; Cook personally gifted $1 million. Zuckerberg, who is co-hosting an inaugural party tonight, ended fact-checking on Meta’s Facebook and Instagram platforms earlier this month, while Amazon reportedly spent $40 million to secure the rights to produce and stream a documentary about Melania Trump.
All three were seen seated next to one another at the Inauguration Day church service at St. John’s Cathedral earlier this morning, CNN reported.
Elon Musk, who spent an estimated $277 million backing Trump and other Republican candidates, will be there. Musk since been named to co-chair Trump’s Department of Governmental Efficiency, a nongovernmental outside group advising him on how to slash the federal budget.
Altman, who personally gave Trump $1 million for his inauguration, is scheduled to attend alongside two other company executives. Uber’s CEO Dara Khosrowshahi is expected to also be there. Both Uber and Khosrowshahi each made a $1 million donation to Trump’s inauguration, according to Reuters.
Sundar Pichai, CEO of Alphabet, the parent company of Google, is scheduled to attend. Google donated $1 million to the festivities.
Miriam Adelson, widow of billionaire casino magnate Sheldon Adelson, who gave $5 million to Trump's first inauguration, is expected to attend the ceremonies. Last year, she created a pro-Trump PAC, funding it entirely through a $100 million donation of her personal funds.
Tilman Fertitta, owner of the Houston Rockets basketball team, is expected to attend. Fertitta is a Houston-area businessman and head of Landry’s, the restaurant group that owns brands like Morton’s steakhouse, McCormick and Schmick’s and Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. Trump recently nominated Fertitta to be ambassador to Italy. Fertitta donated at least $1 million to state and national Republican fundraising committees during the 2024 election.
Todd Ricketts, co-owner of the Chicago Cubs, is expected to attend. Ricketts served as finance chair of Trump's reelection committee and was the Republican National Committee’s finance chair from 2018 through 2021.
The three are slated to co-host an inaugural ball reception later this evening alongside Zuckerberg.
Trump landed support from other billionaires whose attendance hasn’t been confirmed: