President-elect Donald Trump's inauguration on Monday will be attended by several foreign heads of government, among dozens of VIP guests, a first in U.S. history.
Most of the expected world leaders, already attending this weekend's event in Washington, are from the Spanish-speaking Western Hemisphere and are outspoken anti-communist leaders. The leaders will be accompanied by high-level representatives from other countries that do not send presidents, including China's Vice President Han Zheng and India's Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar.
Associated Press Confirmed This weekend, President Trump will become the first inauguration attended by a foreign head of state. The swearing-in ceremony is part of an eventful multi-day event. itinerary It begins with a presidential reception on Saturday, followed by a visit to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier on Sunday, followed by a parade and traditional inaugural ball on Monday.
Between the daytime celebrations and the inaugural ball, President Trump will have the opportunity to engage in presidential business. He is reportedly considering signing up to 200 executive orders on Monday, many of which would reverse the policies of his left-leaning predecessor Joe Biden. Biden and all other current American presidents (Bill Clinton, Barack Obama, George W. Bush) expected To attend.
Argentine President Javier Milei, the first world leader to meet with Trump since his November election victory, has been in Washington over the weekend and is expected to attend the inauguration. Ecuadorian President Daniel Novoa, who is running for re-election amid chaotic gang warfare, reportedly accepted an invitation to attend. Paraguayan President Santiago Peña also arrived in Washington, D.C., this weekend. states Trump's team, assembled by a State Department team led by Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), said in an interview that it was a “dream come true” for the country.
President Trump reportedly invited El Salvador's President Nayib Bukele to attend his inauguration. Reports have not yet revealed whether he will attend. Bukele had not publicly mentioned the invitation as of press time. He posted a cryptic photo of himself on social media Sunday night, prompting further inconclusive speculation about his attendance.
Outside of Latin America, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni is often described as an ideological ally of President Trump. Confirmed She plans to attend the inauguration ceremony.
According to reports, President-elect Trump has also invited genocidal dictator Xi Jinping and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to attend the ceremony. Both men declined, but Mr. Xi sent Vice President Han, the highest ranking official in Chinese history, to attend the inauguration ceremony in the United States. President Xi also spoke by phone with President Trump on Friday, saying the president-elect would respond “very well” and “solve many problems.”
Prime Minister Modi sent his top diplomat, Foreign Minister Jaishankar, who was also in Washington this weekend and was seen meeting other inaugural guests. Jaishankar held Sunday's meeting between Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong and Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya was vaguely described as a “discussion on world affairs.”
Also on the invite list but unable to attend is another prominent conservative leader in the Western Hemisphere, former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro. Mr. Bolsonaro and Mr. Trump have maintained an extremely cordial relationship throughout their terms in office, and Mr. Bolsonaro recently noted that the two share a bond of surviving an assassination attempt.
Bolsonaro faces multiple lawsuits in Brazil, resulting in President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva's socialist government branding him a “flight risk” and removing his passport. This resulted in it being confiscated. Bolsonaro pointed out that he had left the country to attend Milei's inauguration in 2023 and requested special authorization to travel to the United States for the inauguration, but Brazil's Supreme Federal Court (STF) ruled that Bolsonaro rejected his request on the grounds that the email invitation he received was inappropriate. There was somehow insufficient evidence that he had been invited.
Bolsonaro's son, Eduardo Bolsonaro, a member of Brazil's parliament, is scheduled to attend the inauguration and has spent the weekend meeting with Milei and other conservative leaders in preparation for the inauguration.
Other prominent conservative leaders from around the world are also expected to attend, including Britain's Nigel Farage, a longtime Trump ally, and Santiago Abascal, head of Spain's populist party Vox. Mr. Abascal shared an excited moment with Mr. Milley at a pre-inauguration event, with Mr. Milley elbowing him in the crowd.
President Trump ended his final days before his second term with what many believe will be his last political rally in Washington, D.C. The rally is an event to thank supporters and finally celebrate the election victory. In remarks Sunday, President Trump promised his supporters that they would have a “very good time watching TV tomorrow,” but added that “all the radical and stupid executive orders of the Biden administration… within hours.” “I promised to withdraw it.'' He promised to place particular emphasis on repealing the federal government's “diversity, equity, and inclusion” (DEI) provisions.
