WASHINGTON — The best spots at President Trump’s inauguration Monday went to a cast of billionaires — most of them newly friendly to Trump — while the country’s Republican governors, including Ron DeSantis of Florida and Greg Abbott of Texas, watched from an overflow room in the Capitol’s basement.
The world’s three richest men — Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk — got prized positions arrayed alongside Trump, 78, as he promised to launch the “golden age of America” while also trashing the country’s “corrupt establishment.”
Only about 600 people could fit into the Capitol Rotunda after the inauguration was moved indoors due to dangerously cold weather — meaning not all members of Congress could attend.
Despite the space limitation, both Zuckerberg and Bezos were given plus-ones, bringing wife Priscilla Chan and partner Lauren Sanchez, respectively.
First son-in-law Jared Kushner, now an investment manager and formerly Trump’s right-hand-man in the West Wing, was spotted chatting with the group as he and other members of the Trump family stood in the row in front of them.
Google CEO Sundar Pichai and Apple CEO Tim Cook also were in the rich row immediately in front of Trump’s Cabinet nominees, including Health and Human Services secretary-designee Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Homeland Security secretary-designee Kristi Noem.
Elsewhere, the CEO of Chinese-owned TikTok, Shou Chew, sat next to the next Director of National Intelligence-designee Tulsi Gabbard — days after Trump said he would not implement a ban of the Chinese-owned app and instead require a 50:50 joint venture with an American company.
Trump showed off his cast of new frenemies — many of whom opposed him during his first term and de-platformed him after the 2021 Capitol riot — over his right shoulder as he spoke, as retiring President Biden and former Presidents Barack Obama, George W. Bush and Bill Clinton watched from his left.
The newly inaugurated president said he hoped to be remembered as “a peacemaker and a unifier” during his speech — even as he promised a sharp break from the past for year on immigration policy, foreign affairs and other areas.
The single-biggest ticket allocation may have gone to French billionaire Bernald Arnault — the wealthiest non-American and owner of LVMH Moët Hennessey Louis Vuitton — who attended along with his wife Helene, daughter Delphine and son Alexandre. The family stood behind the former presidents.
Outgoing first lady Jill Biden and former first ladies Laura Bush and Hillary Clinton were present for the pared-down inauguration.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams and media figures including podcaster Joe Rogan and Rupert Murdoch, the chairman emeritus of Fox Corporation and CEO of New Corp, which includes The Post, also attended.
All nine Supreme Court justices were in the Rotunda, as were some of Trump’s international fellow right-wing populist allies, including Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Argentinian President Javier Milei.
Trump appeared intent on ensuring there were no hard feelings with guests who were in the overflow room and proceeded to flatter them and deliver a lengthy followup speech there too.
“You’re a younger and far more beautiful audience than I just spoke to — and I want to keep it off the record,” Trump said.
“I want to keep that off the record because I don’t want to have all those big shots up there — I don’t want them to think you’re more powerful than them, you look better than them, and I love you.”
That crowd included Abbott, who Trump praised during his remarks for his anti-illegal immigration actions, as well as a number of Republican officeholders who have had more difficult relationships with him, including DeSantis, who challenged Trump for the 2024 GOP nomination, and on-again, off-again critics such as Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp, Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds and Utah Gov. Spencer Cox.
Trump told the larger group that Hillary Clinton, whom he defeated in 2016, “didn’t look too happy today” to see him in the Rotunda.
He praised Vice President JD Vance for navigating negative press and partisan criticism shortly after his selection as running mate in July.
Vance “took on some pretty mean people,” rump said. “I don’t want to use the word corrupt, because we’re into a new system, so let’s wait till the corruption begins, because it will. But he took on some pretty mean people, and he handled it well.”
Trump also told the overflow room that Democrats “tried like hell” to “rig” the 2024 election and indicated he would soon pardon rioters who stormed the Capitol in 2021 to disrupt certification of Biden’s victory.
“I think this was a better speech than the one I made upstairs,” Trump closed. “I gave you the A+ treatment!”
