Donald Trump’s inauguration as President is now just hours away, as the Republican firebrand prepares to begin his second term in the White House.
The event customarily takes place on the steps of the US capitol building but has been moved indoors this year due to the bitterly cold temperatures in Washington DC.
But though far fewer people will get the opportunity to watch the momentous swearing-in ceremony in person, it still promises to be a highly anticipated event, with its fair share of famous faces.
When it became clear who would be attending the inauguration – and that Keir Starmer wasn’t among them – critics of the Prime Minister suggested it was clearly a damning indictment of his leadership, and the direction of the country.
But a fact-check by the PA news agency looked at the US State Department’s visiting log for presidential inauguration years since records began in 1874 and found that no foreign leaders were recorded as visiting a US President at the time of the ceremony.
Diplomats and representatives tend to be sent instead.
However, Trump has broken with tradition this year, inviting Chinese President Xi Jinping, as well as conservative world leaders including Argentina’s President Javier Milei and Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni,.
Xi will reportedly be sending his vice-president as his representative.
A number of other figures, who are not world leaders but are influential in right-wing politics, will also be in attendance, as per Politico.
These include France’s Éric Zemmour, Belgium’s Tom Van Grieken, as well as Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki, known for his battles with Brussels.
As expected, Reform UK leader and long-time Trump cheerleader Nigel Farage will also be among them, as the President-elect recognises international allies on the populist right.
Addressing the decision to invite world leaders for the first time, Trump said: “Some people said, ‘Wow, that’s a little risky, isn’t it?’ And I said, ‘Maybe it is. We’ll see. We’ll see what happens’. But we like to take little chances.”
The UK Government will be sending the outgoing ambassador to the US, Karen Pierce, as its representative.
