Trump's inauguration draws unprecedented lineup of global leaders

Although the guest list for Donald Trump's inauguration has not yet been finalized, it is already known that the ceremonies will be different from previous ones. Until now, the foreign dignitaries participating in this event usually included only diplomats. However, many foreign leaders—from heads of state and government to party leaders and foreign ministers—may be present.

So far, two leaders have confirmed their participation: Argentina's President Javier Milei, whom Trump calls his "favourite president" and who was 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 a dozen or so 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 solely 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 "enjoys 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 eagerly seek invitations, hoping to pursue their interests during events and balls associated with the inauguration. Among them are Nigeria's President Bola Tinubu and leaders of smaller countries such as Chile, Peru, and Mozambique. However, for most of them, these efforts do not end successfully.

A lobbyist representing foreign nations mentioned that they are straightforward with their clients about their chances of attending, explaining that countries like Costa Rica are unlikely to receive an invitation to such inaugurations. They pointed out that smaller nations with limited contributions in terms of business or large corporations offer little added value in this context.

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.