Trump's risky inauguration: World leaders gather amidst shake-up

Although the guest list for Donald Trump's inauguration has not yet been finalised, it is already known that the ceremonies will differ from previous ones. Until now, the foreign dignitaries participating in this event typically included only diplomats, but this time, a wide array of foreign leaders may be present—from heads of state and government to party leaders and foreign ministers.

So far, two leaders have confirmed their participation: Argentina's President Javier Milei, whom Trump calls his "favourite president," and invited by Congressman Joe Wilson, and Georgia's President Salome Zurabishvili, who—although she left the presidential palace—still considers herself the acting head of state. However, the list of invitees is much longer and includes about a dozen leaders, many of whom have not ruled out attending.

Among the invited, leaders ideologically aligned with Trump dominate. Besides Milei, they include Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni (who said she would try to attend), Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, and El Salvador's President Nayib Bukele. However, the list of invitees does not only include friends. Trump personally invited China's leader, Xi Jinping, and although he will not come to Washington, China will send high-level officials. According to the "Financial Times," it could be either China’s Vice President Han Zheng or the Foreign Minister Wang Yi.

According to Trump's team, the new administration's goal is to create a dialogue with leaders of countries that are not only allies (of the USA) but also adversaries and rivals. Trump explained that breaking with tradition "may be a little risky," but he "likes to take little chances."

Besides China, other important Asian countries will be represented at a similarly high level – India and Japan, which will send their foreign ministers, S. Jaishankar and Takeshi Iwaya. According to the "New York Post," many more foreign dignitaries are feverishly seeking invitations, hoping for an opportunity to pursue their interests during events and balls associated with the inauguration. Nigeria's President Bola Tinubu and leaders of smaller countries like Chile, Peru, and Mozambique are among them. However, for most of them, these efforts do not end successfully.

A lobbyist working on behalf of foreign nations stated that they are straightforward with their clients, making it clear that attending the event is not an option for certain countries. For example, they explained that Costa Rica would not receive an invitation as it does not bring substantial business or major corporations to the table, offering little strategic value in such contexts.

According to the newspaper, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is also among this group. Asked about an invitation for Zelensky, Trump said at a press conference in early January that he did not invite the Ukrainian leader. However, he added that he "would gladly welcome him" if Zelensky wanted to come. Zelensky told podcast author Lex Fridman that he would like to go to Washington but could only leave the country during the war with a personal invitation from Trump.

In addition to current state officials, many right-wing politicians maintaining good relations with the new American president will also fly to the U.S. capital. Among them are former Brazilian leader Jair Bolsonaro and British far-right leader Nigel Farage. As the head of the European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) party, former Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki is also expected to attend.