From world leaders to tech giants to business tycoons, people across the globe are expected to attend the January 20 event at the Capitol Building in Washington DC in which Donald Trump will be sworn in as the 47th President of the US. Vice President J.D. Vance will be sworn in at the same ceremony. Invitations have been sent to major world powers and key allies of America including India. Meanwhile, industry leaders are clamoring for a VIP pass they can use to get into the good books of the incoming administration.
Dr. S Jaishankar is the representative of India
External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar will represent India at the January 20 event, the government announced today. “At the invitation of the Trump-Vance Inaugural Committee, External Affairs Minister (EAM) Dr. S. Jaishankar will represent the Government of India at the swearing-in ceremony of President-elect Donald J. Trump as the 47th President of the United States of America,” The Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement this morning.
“During the visit, the Secretary of State will also hold meetings with representatives of the incoming administration as well as some of the other dignitaries visiting the US on that occasion,” the statement said.
There is no clarity yet on who Dr Jaishankar will meet during his visit, but New Delhi would like to ensure that the change of power in the US provides impetus to the bilateral relations that have developed over the past several years.
Which world leaders are attending
Traditionally, world leaders are not invited to the inauguration ceremony of a US President. But Trump has broken the tradition this time. The Republican leader has sent personal invitations to some leaders, including Chinese President Xi Jinping. This assumes significance against the backdrop of geopolitical rivalry between Washington DC and Beijing. Confirming the invitation to Xi, Trump spokeswoman Carolyn Levitt said during a show on Fox News, “This is an example of President Trump creating an open dialogue with leaders of countries that are not only allies but our adversaries. “And so are our competitors.”
The Chinese President is unlikely to attend the event, with Vice President Han Zheng or Foreign Minister Wang Yi likely to be sent to the US.
El Salvador President Nayib Bukele, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Argentinian President Javier Meili have also been invited by Team Trump, a CNN report quoted sources as saying. His team did not answer questions about other leaders.
Trump wants a ‘world forum’: report
Last month, soon after his victory in the US elections, Trump visited Paris at the invitation of French President Emmanuel Macron to attend the re-opening of Notre Dame Cathedral, which was damaged in a fire in 2019. There, he met people from all over the world. Leaders including Britain’s Prince William and Italy’s Meloni.
He said, “It was something really beautiful. And there were a lot of world leaders, about 80 world leaders, different countries, and they were all coming together.”
According to Team Trump, Republican leaders want their inauguration to be a similar event. “Trump is very eager to have world leaders at the inauguration. He wants a global forum,” one of his advisers told CNN.
However, this will create massive security challenges for the US Secret Service, which will need to ensure security for multiple heads of state and adjust to their respective security profiles.
There is another big challenge. Many of these invitations have been given during negotiations on other matters. Some of them have come through back channels. CNN reported that the uncontrolled nature of the invitations made it difficult for even Trump’s closest associates to keep track of everyone who received invitations. Trump has said, “I’ve invited a lot of great people and they’ve all accepted.” “Everyone I’ve invited has accepted.”
Corporates line up for big donations
Eager to please the new administration, industry leaders have made massive financial contributions to the inauguration ceremony. According to a report in The New York Times, the inaugural committee has raised more than $170 million and is on track to cross the $200 million mark.
Aviation giant Boeing has pledged $1 million for the event. Google, Meta and Microsoft said they have made similar donations. The list also includes Chevron, Amazon and Uber. Also on the list are Apple CEO Tim Cook and his OpenAI counterpart Sam Altman, who have each pledged to donate $1 million.
The scale of donations this time can be best understood when contrasted with the inauguration of outgoing President Joe Biden in 2021, which raised a much smaller amount – about $62 million. In 2017, when Trump took oath as President for his first term, he had collected a record of $107 million, which is going to be broken this time.
VIP pass expired
According to a report in The New York Times, several major donors have been told they will not get VIP tickets because there is no space. The individual donation link that fundraisers disseminated to their network of major contributors no longer works on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Packages offered to corporate and individual donors were originally said to be available through Friday, but quickly sold out due to extraordinary demand. “Space is limited,” read marketing materials for donor packages.
Therefore, individual donors must now obtain free tickets available to the public through members of Congress to get a seat at the event. However, these passes will not provide the kind of access industry leaders get to the inauguration ceremony.
“Seats at inaugural speeches, tickets to luxurious balls or access to other events are typically a major part of the checks cut by major donors. Inaugural events are a critical time for the lobbying industry, and they receive donations from corporations and eager donors. “To gain influence or make amends with the new administration,” the NYT report says, explaining why the VIP passes are important.
According to an updated list of benefits, people who contributed $1 million or $2 million were entitled to six tickets to six different events, the NYT reports. These events include the swearing-in ceremony and a much-awaited “candlelight dinner” with Trump and his wife Melania on January 19.
