EXCLUSIVEThe five tech titans that will sit with Trump during inauguration and what their position means
- Donald Trump will be sworn in Monday as the 47th president of the United States
- Guests on the dais will send a message about the direction of his administration
- DEEP DIVE: How Donald Trump won America back
When Donald Trump is sworn in as the 47th president of the United States on Monday he will be surrounded by the tech titans he believes will deliver the jobs and free speech that will define his term.
Jeff Bezos, Amazon founder and Washington Post proprietor, Elon Musk, the world's richest man, Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook founder, Sam Altman, the biggest name in AI, and Shou Chew, chief executive of TikTok, will all have positions of honor on the dais, according to a senior transition official.
It means they have pride of place among the highest rank of VIPs, beside Trump's family and former presidents.
'I think the message it sends is, first, the importance of free speech,' said the official.
'And then that these are all huge job creators in this country and they will be a big part of where the president goes in the second term.
'It's wrong to think of these as just tech guys. An app like TikTok helps thousands of content creators make a living, for example.'
It had not been previously reported that all five will take pride of place outside the Capitol on Monday.
The messaging will be seen as a response to President Joe Biden, who issued a warning about the tech titans surrounding Trump during his farewell speech Wednesday.
Donald Trump raises his right hand to be sworn in as the 45th president in January 2017
Tesla founder Elon Musk became a prominent booster for Trump during the campaign
Amazon founder and Washington Post proprietor will also be among the VIP guests on the dais
'Today, an oligarchy is taking shape in America of extreme wealth, power and influence that literally threatens our entire democracy,' he said in his Oval Office address.
Musk has been the most visible of the tech billionaires in recent months, staking out a place in Trump's inner circle.
He has been living in a bungalow at Mar-a-Lago, advising on policy and personnel since throwing his support behind Trump last year.
At times, he has been seen as a de facto vice president.
Other figures have had to embark on a more awkward dance after being openly critical of Trump or clashing with the president in his first term on immigration and content moderation.
During the campaign, Trump even warned Zuckerberg he would 'spend the rest of his life in prison' if he worked against him like he did in 2020.
But the Facebook founder made peace with Trump after he won the election. He has dined twice at his Mar-a-Lago headquarters and Meta (Facebook's parent company) donated $1 million to the inauguration.
Zuckerberg scrapped the platform's U.S. factchecking program, removed limits on promoting some contentious content, shook up its leadership team, and the company made a $1 million donation to the Trump inauguration.
Washington D.C. is preparing for Monday's inauguration with barriers and bollards
The presence of TikTok's Shou Chew might once have been seen as a surprise
Sam Altman, chief executive of OpenAI, will also be in a place of honor at the inauguration
Facebook chief executive Mark Zuckerberg is another who has made his peace with Trump
It is sign that Silicon Valley figures have returned to the free speech ideals that once motivated them, before they took on responsibility for moderating posts.
The presence of TikTok's Chew might once also have been seen as a surprise.
During his first term, Trump tried to shut down the video sharing app amid concerns that the Chinese Communist Party could access user data.
But in recent weeks, Trump has begun to seek ways to block a new law that mandates shutting the app down in the US unless its Chinese owners sell it. The deadline for a sale is January 19, the day before the inauguration.
Mike Waltz, Trump's pick for national security adviser, said Wednesday that an executive order was in the works to protect TikTok, although it is unclear how it would work.
Another interesting guest is Bezos. He alienated many of his Washington Post staff during the campaign by deciding not to endorse a candidate for president.
Amazon later donated $1 million to the Trump inauguration.
The president-elect noted the turnaround among some of his most prominent critics during a recent press conference.
'In my first term it felt like everyone was against me,' he said. 'Now in this term everyone wants to be my friend.'
