Tech CEOs feature prominently at Trump inauguration

Hailey Branson-Potts, Los Angeles Times on Jan 20, 2025

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WASHINGTON — Inside the Capitol Rotunda, where space was tight and seats were limited, the billionaire chief executives of Meta, X and Amazon sat amid members of the current and former first families and in front of the people President-elect Trump has chosen to serve on his Cabinet.

The up-close seats for Mark Zuckerberg, Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos demonstrate the influence of the heads of some of the world’s most powerful companies with the incoming president.

Attending the ceremony were all living former presidents, who entered the room followed by justices of the U.S. Supreme Court.

Governors were relegated to the Emancipation Hall overflow viewing space.

Trump and President Biden entered the Capitol side-by-side, flanked by a military honor guard and followed by their wives and the outgoing and incoming vice presidents.

“Good morning,” Trump said as he entered the Capitol with Biden.

Asked by reporters how they felt, Biden responded: “Well.”

In the crowd, Republicans and Democrats sat together, taking selfies.

Foreign leaders also made their way into Rotunda, including former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and recently elected Argentinian President Javier Milei. TikTok Chief Executive Shou Chew was also present.

Right-wing influencer Charlie Kirk also had a coveted seat inside the Rotunda, from which he filmed himself saying, “Make America Great Again.”