Trump's inauguration was packed with some of the world's richest people
President Donald Trump's inauguration was packed with the ultra-rich, some seated closer to the incoming president than his incoming cabinet. The personal net worth of just three of these people combined (Mark Zuckerberg, Jeff Bezos, and Elon Musk) is greater than the GDP of any U.S. state aside from the top five (California, Texas, New York, Florida and Illinois.)
These are some of the richest people in the world, and the corporations they represent are worth far more. The photo below alone shows nearly a trillion dollars in personal net worth. Here's a closer look:
Alongside Zuckerberg, Bezos, and Musk was Sundar Pichai, CEO of Alphabet, the holding company that owns Google. Pichai had a net worth of nearly $1 billion in 2024, according to Bloomberg. Reuters reports that the company he represents is valued at more than $2 trillion.
All were seated in front of Trump cabinet picks including Health and Human Services nominee Robert F. Kennedy Jr., nominee for secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth and attorney general nominee Pam Bondi.
Tim Cook, CEO of Apple, represents a company valued at nearly $4 trillion, according to Reuters. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman (who, like Cook, has a net worth of around $2 billion, according to Bloomberg) was also present.
TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew's net worth is reported to be $200 million. He can be seen near comedian/podcaster Joe Rogan and Tulsi Gabbard, nominee for director of National Intelligence.
While not quite as rich as the upper echelon present at the inauguration, Chew represents a company valued at up to $300 billion, according to Reuters, and is connected with ByteDance owner Zhang Yiming ‒ the world's 32nd richest person with a net worth of nearly $44 billion.
Other high-net-worth individuals sighted at the event include:
◾ $188 billion: Bernard Arnault, owner of LVMH which owns luxury brands including Dior, Louis Vitton and many others.
◾ $34.8 billion: Miriam Adelson, whose fortune was made in casinos.
◾ $11.8 billion: Rupert Murdoch, owner of media and news organizations like Fox, The Wall Street Journal, and The New York Post.
Sources: Bloomberg Billionaires Index; Reuters; The Street; Paste BN reporting.
Read more:
The world's richest people attended Trump's inauguration. Here are their net worths.
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Contributing: Kathleen Wong, Erin Mansfield