Trump’s inauguration on Monday: China’s Xi invited, Modi not on list

Donald Trump is going to be sworn in as the new president of the United States on Monday, January 20. Many members of the international community have been included in the list of invited guests for this swearing-in ceremony. However, while Chinese President Xi Jinping has been invited to the swearing-in ceremony, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is not on the list of invited guests.

Politico’s report titled ‘Who’s Been Invited? World’s Far-Right Populists Pack Guest List for Trump’s Inauguration’ says that foreign diplomats participate in the inauguration ceremony of the US president as a courtesy. Usually, heads of state and government of different countries are not invited. Trump, however, does not follow the conventional customs. He has invited many foreign leaders to the swearing-in ceremony. The guest list has been seen inviting many hard-right and nationalist politicians, excluding European centrists.

The names of Italian Prime Minister Giorgi Meloni and Argentine President Javier Miglia at the top of the list of invited guests for Trump’s swearing-in ceremony are the names of Italian Prime Minister Giorgi Meloni and Argentine President Javier Miglia. Meanwhile, Milley confirmed a month ago that he would attend the event. Meloni’s office said that if all goes well, he would be there.

Hungarian President Viktor Orbán, who has praised Russian President Vladimir Putin, has also been invited. However, Orbán’s office told Hungarian media that he will not be able to attend the event.

Trump invited Chinese President Xi Jinping to the inauguration last month. It has not been confirmed whether the invitation has been received from the Beijing embassy in Washington or whether Xi has responded. There is no precedent for a Chinese head of state to attend the inauguration of a US president. Even if Xi Jinping wants to, it is unlikely that he will attend. This is because China follows very strict rules for senior leaders to travel abroad. It takes months to finalize travel plans. But even if Xi is not present, he will definitely send a high-ranking official to convey his greetings to Trump at the event.

Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar said he would attend the event. However, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who has called Trump a “friend”, was not invited to the event. Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal avoided the issue when asked about it at the weekly briefing of the Ministry of External Affairs on Friday. Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwao also confirmed that he plans to attend the event. El Salvador President Nayib Bukele and Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa have also been invited by Trump’s transition team. It is not yet certain whether Bukele will be there. However, Noboa will attend Trump’s inauguration during a brief visit to Washington. Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has also been invited to the event. However, he is unable to attend because his passport is revoked due to an investigation against him in Brazil. In addition to Elon Musk, the owner of social media giant X, the ceremony will be attended by prominent figures in the technology sector, such as Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and Meta chief Mark Zuckerberg. French billionaire and technology entrepreneur Xavier Niel will be present with his wife. Trump aides have also invited the British ambassador to the United States, Karen Pierce, as well as the leader of the UK’s right-wing Reform Party, Nigel Farage. Farage has confirmed his attendance despite his public feud with Musk, a close Trump ally.

Information has also begun to emerge about who was not invited to Trump’s inauguration. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen was not invited to Trump’s inauguration, her spokesman confirmed. However, Jovita Nelyupcsien, the European Union’s ambassador to Washington, will attend the Capitol event. Marine Le Pen, a three-time candidate in the French presidential election and a far-right leader, was not invited to Trump’s inauguration. Penn’s protégé Jordan Bardella also did not receive an invitation, a team official confirmed.