President-elect Donald Trump kicked off his pre-inaugural festivities on Monday with a church service at St. John’s Church, attended by several tech moguls and business figures, including Amazon’s Jeff Bezos, Apple’s Tim Cook, Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg, and Google’s Sundar Pichai. Other notable attendees included SpaceX and Tesla CEO Elon Musk, OpenAI’s Sam Altman, Uber’s Dara Khosrowshahi, and TikTok’s Shou Zi Chew, as well as media mogul Rupert Murdoch, FIFA president Gianni Infantino, and former UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
The gathering was notable for its blend of high-profile tech leaders who had previously been critical of Trump during his first term, particularly over issues such as immigration and climate change. Many of these companies are still dealing with regulatory scrutiny, including antitrust lawsuits and tariff disputes, leading some critics, including Democratic Senators Elizabeth Warren and Michael Bennett, to accuse the tech executives of trying to align themselves with the incoming administration to avoid such scrutiny.
Despite the criticism, Trump appeared to be in good spirits, joking on social media, “Everybody wants to be my friend!!!” However, not all of his allies welcomed the tech figures. Former Trump strategist Steve Bannon expressed disdain for Elon Musk, labeling him a “truly evil guy” who had “surrendered” to the administration.
As Trump’s relationships with the tech industry deepen, his administration’s stance on regulation and innovation will be closely watched by the business world.
