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Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg, Jeff Bezos to attend Donald Trump's inauguration, sit together: Report
Tesla CEO Elon Musk has had significantly close ties with Donald Trump over the past year, contributing millions of dollars to the Republican's campaign fund.
Billionaires Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg and Jeff Bezos will attend US President-elect Donald Trump's inauguration on January 20, NBC News reported, citing an official involved in the event's planning.
The network said the three men will be seated together at a prominent spot at the ceremony along with other key guests, including Trump Cabinet nominees and other elected officials.
Notably, all three businessmen have been making attempts to get on Trump's favourable side in the past year, with Elon Musk at the forefront.
The Tesla and SpaceX CEO made his way to become one of Trump's closest allies last year, donating millions of dollars in campaign funds to help get Trump elected to the White House.
The President-elect also picked Musk to co-lead the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), an advisory commission aimed at cutting down federal spending and bureaucracy. However, this will not be an official US agency, an AFP report said.
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However, Zuckerberg and Bezos have not had as close ties with Trump as Musk. But, they both have made considerable moves since the Republican's election victory, including meeting him at his Mar-a-Lago resort.
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg hinted towards his right-wing politics last week when he announced that Facebook and Instagram were getting rid of the third-party fact-checking program in the United States, and replacing with 'community notes', a model similar to the one used by Musk's "X".
The social media giant said that the decision was made as expert fact-checkers carried their own biases, noting that too much content ended up being fact-checked.
ALSO READ | Mark Zuckerberg's Meta to replace third-party fact-checkers with community notes like ‘X’
Zuckerberg had said that the US presidential elections "feel like a cultural tipping point towards, once again, prioritising speech".
Meta's move came as shocker to many as his talking points mirrored those of Trump.
Additionally, Zuckerberg will also co-host a reception for Trump's inauguration with other billionaire Republican donors next week, The Associated Press reported.
The reception will take place on Monday, January 20, evening, shortly before the inaugural balls, the report said.
Other co-hosts of the reception include Miriam Adelson, the Dallas Mavericks owner and widow of casino magnate Sheldon Adelson; Tilman Fertitta, casino magnate, Houston Rockets owner and Trump's pick to serve as US ambassador to Italy; Todd Ricketts, the co-owner of the Chicago Cubs; and Ricketts' wife, Sylvie Legere.
Jeff Bezos, the founder and executive chairman of Amazon, also has taken significant steps towards a relationship with Trump.
The Washington Post, also owned by Bezos, which Trump has rallied against for several years made a shocking revelation when it announced that it won't endorse the race to the White House.
ALSO READ | Jeff Bezos defends Washington Post's ‘right decision’ not to endorse Kamala Harris
Bezos' decision reportedly overruled the opinion staff who wanted to endorse Democrat candidate and Vice President Kamala Harris in the presidential elections. Additionally, Amazon contributed $1 million to Trump's inaugural fund, NBC News reported.
All eyes in the United States and across the globe are set on Donald Trump's inauguration ceremony next week, with many keen on the actions he said he would take in relation to the Ukraine war, immigration and other such issues, as soon as he would take charge of the Oval Office.
(with inputs from agencies)
