Trump Inauguration: Italy's Meloni, Argentina's Milei and other far-right leaders on the guest list

Donald Trump

US president-elect Donald Trump has invited a host of global leaders to his January 20 swearing-in ceremony, deviating from protocol of only domestic figures attending presidential inaugurations.

Several of the invitees, and most of whom who have accepted the invitation, are far-right leaders who have a close relationship with Trump.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and Argentinian President Javier Milei are on the guest list. Meloni, who met Trump at his Mar-a-Lago home earlier this month, reportedly confirmed getting the invitation but it is not clear if she will be at the ceremony.

Chinese President Xi Jinping is also one of the invitees but will likely send a senior official to represent him, reports said.

External affairs minister S Jaishankar will represent India.

Also Read | EAM Jaishankar to represent India at Donald Trump's oath taking ceremony on January 20

According to a report in Politico, other far right politicians making the guest list are: British anti-EU populist Nigel Farage, France's firebrand Éric Zemmour, Belgium’s Tom Van Grieken, and former Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki.

El Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele also confirmed he received an invitation but has not confirmed his plans. Former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro is also an invitee.

Other than politicians, high-profile attendees from the tech sector will include Open AI CEO Sam Altman, Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg, and Uber’s Dara Khosrowshahi.

Trump, who won a historic mandate in the November 2024 election, will take oath for the Oval Office for the second time. JD Vance will take oath as the vice president. The inauguration ceremony is set to coincide with Martin Luther King Jr Day, a federal holiday.