Inaugural Brings World's Billionaire Elite to Washington

The attendees at a US presidential inauguration do not often resemble the annual gathering of the world's richest in Davos, Switzerland, which kicked off on Monday, but the parallels were hard to ignore as Donald Trump was sworn in as US president.

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The globe's wealthiest individuals attended Trump's inauguration in Washington on Monday and the glamorous balls to celebrate with the new president afterwards.

Among those seated prominently were the three richest men in the world: Elon Musk, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos and Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, with a combined net worth of nearly $900 billion, according to Forbes.

To some, the presence of the world's wealthiest represents the apex of Trump's return to power in Washington after attempting to overturn the results of the 2020 election, which he lost to Joseph Biden.

To others, it stands as a warning that the new administration’s priorities in coming years will favor the most well-connected through tax, labor, trade and other policies.

Ex-president Joseph Biden in his outgoing address warned of a growing oligarchy in the United States that endangers democracy.