As President-elect Donald Trump prepares to celebrate the “dawn of a thrilling new chapter of national achievement” in his inaugural address this Monday, critics from progressive circles argue that the attendance of some of the nation’s wealthiest billionaires is a clear indicator that the administration\u2019s policies will favor the ultra-rich.<\/p>\n
Notable billionaires such as Meta\u2019s Mark Zuckerberg, Amazon\u2019s Jeff Bezos, and Tesla\u2019s Elon Musk are expected at the inauguration, where they will enjoy a prime position. NBC News<\/em> reports that they will be “seated together on the platform alongside other distinguished guests, including Trump\u2019s Cabinet picks and elected officials.”<\/p>\n Maurice Mitchell, the national director of the Working Families Party, made a statement on Monday denouncing the presence of these billionaires. He described the scene as “billionaires’ row” and criticized their business practices. “Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg, and Jeff Bezos are experts at exploiting workers. It makes perfect sense that they would be front and center to witness the inauguration of a man notorious for deceiving workers, defrauding families, and evading taxes,” Mitchell said.<\/p>\n Mitchell further argued that these billionaires have a singular aim: to further enrich themselves by dismantling healthcare, public education, and Social Security systems. “We plan to reveal their schemes and grow our movement to shift power from billionaire tycoons to the working masses,” he added.<\/p>\n “Corporations and lobbyists have poured over $200 million into today\u2019s inauguration of Donald Trump\u2014a trivial sum for securing the favor of the most corrupt grifter-in-chief in history.”<\/p>\n Other prominent billionaires like OpenAI\u2019s Sam Altman and Apple\u2019s Tim Cook, who each contributed $1 million to the inaugural fund, are also expected to attend. This fund has raised an unprecedented amount of money.<\/p>\n “Trump\u2019s administration is a government of the billionaires, by the billionaires,” stated Rep. Greg Casar (D-Texas), chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, before the event. “Corporations and lobbyists have donated over $200 million to today\u2019s inauguration of Donald Trump\u2014a small price to pay for the allegiance of history\u2019s most corrupt grifter-in-chief. From the outset, Trump has shown his true colors as a champion for the affluent, not the working class.”<\/p>\n In addition to external billionaire supporters, Trump\u2019s proposed second-term administration seeks to include at least 13 billionaires, from education secretary nominee Linda McMahon to treasury secretary nominee Scott Bessent, pushing again for tax cuts for the wealthy and large corporations. <\/p>\n Elon Musk, who is poised to co-chair an advisory commission aimed at slashing federal regulations and spending, is part of an incoming team that could have a combined net worth exceeding $460 billion, according to ABC News<\/em>.<\/p>\n In a Fox News<\/em> op-ed published Sunday, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) voiced his concern, stating, “we must not let billionaire oligarchs take over our government.” Sanders criticized Trump\u2019s choices, saying, “Trump claims he wants the Republican Party to serve the interests of working people. Yet, surrounding yourself with the world\u2019s wealthiest individuals and appointing 13 billionaires to your Cabinet, who have vested interests in the industries they’ll oversee, hardly achieves that.”<\/p>\n\n\n