• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia
PoliticsDonald Trump

Two of Trump’s longtime billionaire adversaries will stand just feet away from him on Inauguration Day

By
Alena Botros
Alena Botros
Former staff writer
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Alena Botros
Alena Botros
Former staff writer
Down Arrow Button Icon
January 16, 2025, 4:29 AM ET
Trump holds up his hand as he's sworn in during his inauguration in 2017
.S. President-elect Donald Trump takes the oath of office as First Lady-elect Melania Trump, looks on during the 58th presidential inauguration in Washington, D.C., U.S., on Friday, Jan. 20, 2017.Andrew Harrer / Bloomberg—Getty Images
  • President-elect Donald Trump will be sworn in on Monday for the second time and the three richest men in the world—who have previously feuded among themselves and with Trump—will be there together to witness the event. 

The three wealthiest men in the world will be in attendance at Donald Trump’s inauguration, according to NBC, which cited an official involved in the planning: Elon Musk; Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon who Trump once called “Jeff Bozo;” and Mark Zuckerberg, whom Trump previously threatened to send to prison for life. 

Recommended Video

There’s more nuance to the tensions of the past, too. Musk once challenged Zuckerberg to a cage match that never happened. Musk and Bezos are in a space race via their companies SpaceX and Blue Origin. Notably, Bezos and Zuckerberg appear to be cordial. 

The billionaires will be seated together on the platform among the president-elect’s cabinet nominees (some of whom are undergoing confirmation hearings this week) and other elected officials, NBC reported. The Washington Post, which Bezos owns, reported the trio would be seated together, too, alongside family, citing a Trump official. 

On X, Musk responded to a post about the tech billionaires and their plum spot for the inauguration next week, simply writing: “Honored.” Their combined net worth—Musk, Bezos, and Zuckerberg—is roughly $874 billion, per the Bloomberg Billionaire Index. 

Meta, Amazon, Tesla, and the Trump inaugural team did not immediately respond to Fortune’s request for comment. 

For his part, Zuckerberg is also co-hosting a black-tie reception on Monday with Republican donors to celebrate the inauguration, multiple outlets reported. Since Trump’s victory, the Meta chief executive and the Amazon founder and Washington Post owner seem to have been attempting inroads with the new president. Meta donated $1 million to Trump’s inauguration, and Amazon previously said it plans to donate $1 million, too. Amazon will stream the inauguration on its Prime video platform.

At the New York Times Dealbook summit, Bezos was optimistic about another Trump administration. “I’m very hopeful—he seems to have a lot of energy around reducing regulation,” Bezos said. 

In Meta’s case, it elected Ultimate Fighting Championship CEO Dana White who is a longtime friend of Trump to its board of directors, along with John Elkann, executive chair of Ferrari and Stellantis, and tech investor Charlie Songhurst.  

Bezos and Zuckerberg have both reportedly dined with Trump at Mar-a-Lago, as well. Trump said it himself, “everybody wants to be my friend.”

They aren’t the only ones who appear to be attempting to get on the former and future president’s good side. OpenAI chief executive Sam Altman has said he’d make a personal donation of $1 million to Trump’s inauguration, as has Citadel founder Ken Griffin. Trump has reportedly raised $200 million since his election, mostly for his record-breaking inaugural fund, and his team reportedly expects to raise $500 million by the summer.

The Fortune 500 Innovation Forum will convene Fortune 500 executives, U.S. policy officials, top founders, and thought leaders to help define what’s next for the American economy, Nov. 16-17 in Detroit. Apply here.
About the Author
By Alena BotrosFormer staff writer
LinkedIn iconTwitter icon

Alena Botros is a former reporter at Fortune, where she primarily covered real estate.

See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in Politics

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • Future 50
  • World’s Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Politics

rick steves holds american flag
PoliticsTaxes
Travel guru Rick Steves is happy to pay more taxes
By Catherina GioinoApril 3, 2026
6 hours ago
At least one crew member still missing after Iran shoots down 2 U.S. aircraft while Trump says ‘it’s war’
PoliticsIran
At least one crew member still missing after Iran shoots down 2 U.S. aircraft while Trump says ‘it’s war’
By Sam Mednick, Konstantin Toropin, Seung Min Kim and The Associated PressApril 3, 2026
7 hours ago
trump
Politicsnational debt
Trump just raised the $39 trillion national debt with the largest budget hike since World War II—and nobody can figure out how to pay for it
By Nick LichtenbergApril 3, 2026
10 hours ago
JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon
EconomyIran
Jamie Dimon says the U.S. was right to go to war with Iran: ‘Why the Western world put up with all these proxy wars for 45 years is kind of beyond me’
By Tristan BoveApril 3, 2026
12 hours ago
Bernie sanders angry pointing
PoliticsBernie Sanders
Bernie Sanders calls out Bezos, Musk, Bloomberg, and Buffett in billionaire tax push: ‘The richest people in America have never ever had it so good’
By Catherina GioinoApril 3, 2026
12 hours ago
Energy markets are having a Wile E. Coyote moment as oil supplies go off a cliff, expert says
EnergyOil
Energy markets are having a Wile E. Coyote moment as oil supplies go off a cliff, expert says
By Jason MaApril 3, 2026
13 hours ago

Most Popular

Google CEO Sundar Pichai says we’re just a decade away from a new normal of extraterrestrial data centers
Innovation
Google CEO Sundar Pichai says we’re just a decade away from a new normal of extraterrestrial data centers
By Fortune EditorsApril 3, 2026
19 hours ago
Gen Z fled San Francisco for Texas and Florida. Now they’re turning ‘welcomer cities’ into the next big tech towns
Real Estate
Gen Z fled San Francisco for Texas and Florida. Now they’re turning ‘welcomer cities’ into the next big tech towns
By Fortune EditorsApril 2, 2026
2 days ago
The Walmart billionaires next door: Quiet backlash is brewing against the heirs who remade the retailer’s hometown
Magazine
The Walmart billionaires next door: Quiet backlash is brewing against the heirs who remade the retailer’s hometown
By Fortune EditorsApril 3, 2026
22 hours ago
Major 4-day workweek study suggests that when we work 5 days we spend one doing basically nothing
Success
Major 4-day workweek study suggests that when we work 5 days we spend one doing basically nothing
By Fortune EditorsApril 2, 2026
2 days ago
Current price of oil as of April 2, 2026
Personal Finance
Current price of oil as of April 2, 2026
By Fortune EditorsApril 2, 2026
2 days ago
Current price of oil as of April 3, 2026
Personal Finance
Current price of oil as of April 3, 2026
By Fortune EditorsApril 3, 2026
16 hours ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.