A stunning photo shows four of the world's richest men with a combined net worth of nearly $1 trillion standing together at Donald Trump's inauguration.
Trump has now been sworn in as the 47th President of the United States at the historic inauguration – taking over the White House from his predecessor, Joe Biden.
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Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, Meta chief Mark Zuckerberg, Google chief Sundar Pichai, and Tesla star Elon Musk were photographed taking their seats before the opening ceremony.
Top tech billionaires lined up together inside the US Capitol in a rare sight as Trump returns to power for a second term.
Their combined net worth is more than $895 billion — just $105 billion less than a whopping $1 trillion.
Another photo showed the tech chiefs sitting with Apple CEO Tim Cook inside St John's Church before the celebrations.
Among the billionaires expected to attend the opening ceremony are OpenAI's Sam Altman and Uber chief Dara Khosrowshahi.
Meanwhile, TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chou is also expected to attend the event.
His company is currently facing a new US ban that came amid concerns that Chinese parent company ByteDance may misuse Americans' data.
But the returning Republican president said he would issue an executive order to extend TikTok's lifespan in the United States.
It is hoped this will give more time to reach an agreement with China and avoid a permanent ban.
Speaking at a MAGA rally at Capitol One Arena in Washington, D.C., before his inauguration on Monday, Trump told supporters: “As of today, TikTok is back.
“I said, 'I'll agree, but let the USA own 50% of TikTok.'
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Tech giants are cozying up to Trump
Tech giants have moved closer to Trump after his historic November election victory.
Amazon, under Bezos' leadership, is donating $1 million to Trump's inaugural fund and will stream the event on Prime — essentially another $1 million in-kind donation.
Zuckerberg's Meta is also contributing $1 million to the fund.
Bill Gates, co-founder of Microsoft, met the president-elect during a three-hour dinner before the inauguration ceremony.
This was the first time the two men had met, and comes at a time when Gates' focus on global health conflicts with Trump's “America First” ethos.
Gates has now revealed details of the two giants' meeting to The Wall Street Journal – including what surprised him about the Republican.
In an excerpt of the interview scheduled to air next week, the tech mogul said: “We touched on a lot of things. It's been over three hours, which surprised me.”
The dinner included only Gates, Trump, Trump's chief of staff, Susie Wiles, and a member of Gates' team.
Musk, the richest man in the world, spent $300 million to support Trump's winning election campaign.
Trump appointed Musk as head of the newly created Government Efficiency Administration, which will make policy recommendations to the president.
Trump nominated Musk months after the Tesla chief wore a black MAGA hat and appeared at his rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, last summer.
Musk has turned into a Trump cheerleader just years after calling for him to ride off into the political sunset.
The businessman initially supported Ron DeSantis for president and hosted a Florida gubernatorial campaign launch on Twitter Spaces.
Meanwhile, President Joe Biden received Donald Trump at the White House today for tea before his official inauguration.
The MAGA man and his family arrived at St. John's Church earlier as the day began with service.
The signing ceremony in the Oval Office is scheduled to be held indoors for the first time since 1985 due to cold weather.
Trump will be surrounded by his family, likely including all five of his children and 10 grandchildren.
The FBI is said to be forming a ring of steel around Trump and world leaders at the party as they prepare for the worst.
Country music star Carrie Underwood will perform “America the Beautiful,” and opera singer Christopher Macchio will sing the national anthem.
Spectators will be able to watch the ceremony from nearby Capitol One Arena.
After the signing ceremony in the Oval Office of the White House, Trump will speak at three inauguration ceremonies.
He will then join the watch party on Capitol One Square for the inaugural parade — and later celebrate the victory parade.
What did Donald Trump plan for his first day in office?
By Eli Doty, Foreign News Correspondent
Today marks Donald Trump's first day in his second term as President of the United States.
The president-elect has vowed to “turn heads” by signing nearly 200 executive orders — just hours after returning to the Oval Office.
“Starting tomorrow, I will act with historic speed of force to fix every crisis facing our country,” he said last night.
“Every radical and foolish executive order of the Biden administration will be rescinded within hours of being sworn in. You will have a lot of fun watching TV.
“Someone said yesterday, 'Don't sign a lot of players in one day, let's do it over weeks.' I said, 'Like hell… no, we'll do it tomorrow.'
After he is sworn in at the inauguration, he will be given the full powers that come with that position, leaving him free to sign directives on issues including illegal immigration, gender debates, artificial intelligence and cryptocurrencies.
Executive orders can be overturned by the courts — or the next president — but they carry legal weight in the United States.
Trump indicated that a large part of these issues will relate to immigration and border control, which is the main topic of his first term and election campaign.
He pledged that “the invasion of our borders will stop.”
Trump also promised to become the US president behind the most deportations during his second term.
Trump may reinstate the “Remain in Mexico” policy that sent about 70,000 non-Mexican asylum seekers across the southern US border to await hearings.
He also pledged to repeal the law that means anyone born on US soil is a US citizen — although that law, which is protected by the Constitution, cannot be removed by mere executive order.
Trump may also try to finish building a border wall between Mexico and the United States, a plan he first put into action in 2016.
The MAGA leader is also expected to describe drug cartels as “foreign terrorist organizations,” placing them alongside groups such as Al Qaeda, ISIS and Hamas.
His friendship with tech mogul Elon Musk has grown alongside his efforts to support cryptocurrency.
Some expect him to create a federal “bitcoin stock” — similar to the US gold and oil reserves — which he claimed would be “a permanent national asset for the benefit of all Americans.”
Trump last night promised to release a slew of secret documents related to the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, as well as civil rights leader Martin Luther King.
He is also expected to overturn President Biden's climate policies — including pollution regulation or green jobs efforts — including a potential ban on new wind projects or electric vehicle mandates.
He is expected to once again withdraw from the Paris Climate Agreement, which he did in 2017, before Biden rejoins in 2021.
Presidents also have the power to pardon criminals, with Trump saying he is “inclined to pardon many” of those involved in the Jan. 6 Capitol riot.
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