Money certainly talked at President Trump’s inauguration this week, as the combined wealth of the billionaires present at the event soared over $1,350,000,000,000 in total.
If you’ve been following the news then it’ll come as no shock that many of the world’s richest individuals congregated at Donald Trump’s presidential inauguration on Monday.
The attendance of Elon Musk is certainly not a surprise as the Tesla CEO has become a close ally of Trump’s and is currently head of new advisory board titled the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) – although with no wage taken this won’t be contributing to his extraordinary wealth.
However, some of the biggest names in tech like Mark Zuckerberg, Jeff Bezos, and Tim Cook have all given their own financial contributions to Trump’s administration, and that earned them a front-row seat to see him sworn in for a second term.
Guests attending Trump’s inauguration have a combined wealth that stretches beyond $1.35 trillion (Shawn Thew-Pool/Getty Images)
As per Forbes, the combined net worth of the billionaires in attendance stretched beyond $1,350,000,000,000, showing the staggeringly concentrated wealth that just a few people hold in America.
Looking at the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, we can see that many of the richest names on the list were guests, including four of the wealthiest five.
Those four individuals alone, which include Musk ($447bn), Bezos ($249bn), Zuckerberg ($218bn), and Bernard Arnault ($194bn), hold a combined net worth of $1,108,000,000,000 alone, and then you have countless names like Google founder Sergey Brin ($165bn) and Microsoft‘s Bill Gates ($163bn) shortly after.
Many of these names also experienced a significant boost to their financial fortunes following Trump’s November election victory, which saw an increase of around $63 billion to the ten richest on the list immediately after the result came in.
This was likely due to the significant stock bumps in the tech industry, where many of the wealthiest individuals sourced their funds from, as Trump is expected to relax regulations and focus on the industry.
Many of the richest names in the world are those who made their fortunes in the tech industry (Julia Demaree Nikhinson – Pool/Getty Images)
Based off estimates from the US Federal Reserve, the money held by billionaires at the inauguration is at least 0.84% of the total household wealth across America, indicating a significant concentration of funds in the richest few. Data also indicates that the richest 1% of America holds around 23.8% of the total wealth, but those in attendance will be just a fraction of even that top bracket.
Even the president himself has majorly benefitted following his election win, as the release of a Trump-themed cryptocurrency meme coin which he invested around 80% of his net worth in has soared on the market, making over 500 others millionaires overnight.
Featured Image Credit: Pool / Pool / Getty
Five billionaires have lost $209,000,000,000 since attending Donald Trump’s inauguration
Elon Musk has seen a huge hit to his wealth
Billionaires have lost a whopping $209 billion since attending President Donald Trump’s inauguration in January.
Trump made his return to the White House earlier this year and many were surprised to see that some of the world’s wealthiest people were in attendance for the event.
This included billionaires such as Mark Zuckerberg, Jeff Bezos and – of course – Elon Musk.
Trump’s inauguration was attended by some of the world’s wealthiest people (Julia Demaree Nikhinson – Pool/Getty Images)
And while the stock market was looking flush with funds at the time, things have taken a turn for the worse.
According to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, five billionaires who were present at the inauguration have since lost a combined total of $209 billion.
Both Zuckerberg and Bernard Arnault, who is the CEO of LVMH, are down by $5 billion each.
Sergey Brin, the former president of Google’s parent company Alphabet, has lost $22 billion in wealth.
Bezos’ net worth has shrunk by $29 billion, but nothing compares to the biggest loss experienced by Musk.
The Tesla boss has lost a whopping $148 billion since the start of this year.
And there could be a simple explanation as to why Musk has seen the biggest hit to his finances in recent weeks.
According to a report by Entrepreneur, this is due to a plummet in Tesla share prices, which have dropped from $404 to $263 this year.
And this dip may be a result of Musk’s close proximity to the Trump administration after taking on the role of the head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
While technically not a government department, DOGE is purported to act as an outside advisor to the president on federal spending.
Elon Musk has seen a huge hit to his net worth (SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images)
Although, concerns have been raised over Musk’s access to confidential data in the Treasury payment system and his close proximity to government seems to have ruffled a few feathers within Tesla too.
Wedbush analyst Dan Ives said, as per Barrons: “While the DOGE/Trump Musk iron-clad partnership has created major brand worries for Tesla … we estimate less than five percent of Tesla sales globally are at risk from these issues.
“We expect Musk will better balance his time between DOGE and Tesla/SpaceX over the course of 2025.”
Although, Tesla shareholders have been publicly venting their thoughts on the billionaire now splitting his time between various job roles.
One shareholder even demanded on X, formerly Twitter, that Musk share ‘five things he’s done for them this week’.
The jibe appeared to use Musk’s own words against him as it referenced a controversial email sent out by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) which demanded federal employees justify their paychecks.
Featured Image Credit: Julia Demaree Nikhinson – Pool/Getty Images
Viewers in shock at image worth ‘$4,500,000,000,000’ captured at Trump’s inauguration
The rich are set to get richer under the Trump administration
Donald Trump is back in office, and promising that America’s ‘Golden Age’ is upon us, he’s vowing to build big and build fast. Living up to the promises of his ‘Make America Great Again’ motto, Trump’s inauguration speech covered everything from defense to manufacturing, listing what he thinks is currently wrong with America and how he plans to build on it from the Biden administration.
There were some huge names in attendance, and alongside three former Presidents and Joe Biden handing over power, there were celebrities ranging from Jake Paul to Amber Rose.
Silicon Valley was also out in force, with the heads of Amazon, Google, Apple, and Meta all there. Trump’s right-hand man was obviously there, with Elon Musk once again grabbing the spotlight. Jeff Bezos, Mark Zuckerberg, and Tim Cook were major headliners, with someone pointing out how much money was in one room.
The world’s richest people gathered at Donald Trump’s inauguration (Chip Somodevilla / Staff / Getty)
Posting on X, one user reiterated how the worths of Musk, Bezos, Zuckerberg, and Google CEO Sundar Pichai would be around $4.5 trillion.
In the post, they divisively wrote: “About $4.5 trillion in this image alone at the inauguration. The US is not a liberal democracy. It is, at best, a severe meritocracy, and at worst, an outright oligarchy.”
Elon Musk is the world’s richest man and is on track to becoming the world’s first trillionaire, but with his wealth currently sitting at $433.9, he’s still got a way to go.
Bezos is in second with a healthy $239.4 billion, while Zuckerberg’s $211.8 billion is a close third. After that, Oracle’s Larry Ellison is in fourth with $204.6 billion.
Pichai’s net worth is harder to track down, but in 2024, it was reported to be in excess of $1.3 billion. He might be a long way off the rest of the tech bros’ worth, but it’s not exactly a tiny amount.
About $4.5 trillion in this image alone at the inauguration. The US is not a liberal democracy. It is, at best, a severe meritocracy, and at worst, an outright oligarchy. #Inauguration2025 #Trump
Cheering on the group, one person wrote: “Without those five guys, you wouldn’t have internet, social media, a house, and nothing but to live under a tree, freezing and starving to death.”
Another said, “That is *seriously* f**king cool. Can anyone seriously imagine the European Union producing an image like that?”
While a third concluded: “If it’s their ideas and their ingenuity that lead them to wealth then I’m ok with them lending those ideas and ingenuity to the country. We need our brightest minds making our nation’s decisions.”
Trump is powering ahead with a new tech-focused future where all of the above are only set to get richer. In particular, Elon Musk’s wealth has soared in the aftermath of the election. Cryptocurrencies have also climbed, with Bitcoin hitting a record high of $104,000 on January 18.
It’ll be interesting to come back in another four years and see what the Silicon Valley boys are all worth then.
Featured Image Credit: Chip Somodevilla/Staff / Pool/Pool / Getty
Jake Paul, Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos and other celebs set to attend inauguration today
Many celebrities and billionaires are scheduled to be present
Donald Trump’s second presidential inauguration reportedly has a star-studded guest list, with big names like Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, and even Jake Paul set to attend.
Many of America’s richest and most influential individuals are set to travel to Washington D.C. for president-elect Donald Trump‘s inauguration, which is a contrast to his first one eight years ago to the day.
Trump has received significant support from high-profile members of the tech industry, having been given $1,000,000 by Mark Zuckerberg in recent months and obviously earned keen support from Elon Musk throughout and in the time following his election campaign.
He has also remained a popular figure with a number of key social media stars too, perhaps most notably individuals like Jake Paul and podcast host Joe Rogan, who Trump was a guest of prior to the election.
Elon Musk has become one of Trump’s closest allies and is a lock for the inauguration (Scott Olson/Getty Images)
This has led to a packed guest list for his 2025 inauguration, so here are all of the biggest names set to attend.
Donald Trump 2025 inauguration guests
Not every guest has been confirmed so far, but here is a list of the high profile guests that will be in attendance, as reported by TMZ and CBS News:
- Elon Musk
- Mark Zuckerberg
- Tim Cook
- Jake Paul
- Logan Paul
- Jeff Bezos
- Shou Chew
- Sundar Pichai
- Dana White
- Theo Von
- Amber Rose
- Caitlyn Jenner
- Megyn Kelly
- Bryce Hall
- The Nelk Boys
- Javier Milei
- Giorgia Meloni
- Han Zheng
- Carrie Underwood
- Christopher Macchio
- Lee Greenwood
- Village People
Many of the most prominent attendees are those who have rubbed shoulders with Trump in his election campaign, including Jake Paul who invited the president-elect to his boxing fights.
Additionally, many of the biggest names in technology are also scheduled to attend, which is likely a means of staying on top of any regulation changes involving the industry. One key name perhaps is Shou Chew, who has directly benefitted from Trump’s leadership in the past few days after TikTok’s ban appears to have been lifted by the incoming president.
There are also a few world leaders set to arrive in Washington D.C., including Argentina’s President Javier Milei, and China‘s vice president Han Zheng.
Finally, musical guests include the Village People, Lee Greenwood, and Christopher Macchio, and country music star Carrie Underwood is set to sing ‘America the Beautiful’.
Who is not attending Trump’s inauguration?
While the guest list is definitely well populated, there are a few big – and surprising – omissions who won’t be in attendance:
- Michelle Obama
- Nancy Pelosi
- Dr. Phil
- Roseanne Barr
- Savannah Chrisley
- Drea de Matteo
Some consider Joe Rogan to be a doubt despite his close ties to Trump (Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC)
It remains currently up in the air as to whether Joe Rogan will be attending the event, as while he did play a key role in Trump’s victory with his podcast, he is not currently on the guest list, as reported by the Economic Times.
This could likely be due to the fact that he’s involved instead in the ‘pre-inauguration festivities’ and thus is attending the main event by default.
Featured Image Credit: @jakepaul / @jeffbezos / Instagram
Jeff Bezos called out for gross habit caught on camera at Trump inauguration
You’d expect better from the world’s second-richest man
The second inauguration of Donald J. Trump will be remembered forever, with Joe Biden handing over power to the business mogul and the 47th President of the United States being officially sworn in.
There were some major names gathered at the Capitol Rotunda, and alongside former Presidents Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, and Barack Obama, there was also Kamala Harris and others from the wider world of pop culture.
Jake Paul, Joe Rogan, Dana White, and Caitlyn Jenner are among those in attendance, but one of the big talking points is the gathering of the tech bros. Elon Musk, Tim Cook, Mark Zuckerberg, and Sam Altman are among the Silicon Valley bigwigs who’ve gathered to see Trump’s return to the White House.
Jeff Bezos and other tech giants gathered at Trump’s inauguration (Chip Somodevilla / Staff / Getty)
It’s an occasion they’ll likely remember for the rest of their lives, but unfortunately for one of them, they’ll likely be remembered forever for the wrong reasons. Jeff Bezos is the second-richest man in the world, and with his $239.4 billion trailing far behind Elon Musk’s $433.9 billion, he’s got some catching up to do.
While attending Trump’s inauguration, Bezos was caught on camera seemingly scooping ear wax out of his ear.
It might not be as bad as being caught picking his nose, but with the moment going viral on X, it’s clear that many of you are disgusted by the billionaire’s gross habit.
One disgusted onlooker said: “Just watched Jeff Bezos dig ear wax out of his ear for a full 30 seconds.”
Another said, “Does Bezos know he just was just filmed digging earwax out…… 😭,” while a third joked, “Bezos needs to buy a Wush earwax removal kit from Amazon. STAT.”
Despite some beef in the past, Bezos has been cozying up to Trump more recently. He butted heads with Elon Musk when the latter claimed that Bezos said Trump was going to lose the election.
Bezos behind Vance and JR
With Trump championing a more tech-orientated future, he’s already vowed to clamp down on Chinese exports and bolster America’s manufacturing market by having more tech made there.
This isn’t all Trump is known for, with him expected to sign up to 200 executive orders on his first day. During his inauguration speech, he declared a ‘national emergency’ at the southern border, saying he would clamp down on immigration and reinstate his Remain in Mexico policy.
His speech also promised a boost to the American auto market, with Trump repealing the Green New Deal. Finally, his ‘drill, baby, drill’ motto wants America to become the biggest exporter of energy in the world.
Despite there being plenty of controversy surrounding some of Trump’s ideals, parts of the economy are already soaring. Bitcoin has hit a record-breaking new high, while the world’s richest have only gotten richer since he won the election.
Musk, Bezos, and the rest are set to see their bank balances continue to boom, although it seems that $239.4 billion can’t buy you clean ears.
Featured Image Credit: Pool/Pool / Chip Somodevilla/Staff / Getty
