Mike Pence, Joe Rogan, tech CEOs attend Trump's inauguration
As President Donald Trump was sworn in for his second term, a long list of political leaders, tech CEOs, celebrities and others were in attendance in the U.S. Capitol.
Former Vice President Mike Pence was seen in the Rotunda, as well as former President Barack Obama, former President Bill Clinton and former first lady Hillary Clinton. Former President George W. Bush and former first lady Laura Bush were also there.
Former first lady Michelle Obama -- who has attended every inauguration since 2009, including Trump's first swearing-in ceremony in 2017 -- was not present.
Former President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden, as well as former Vice President Kamala Harris and second gentleman Doug Emhoff, were in attendance.
Several major tech CEOs were also there, including X's Elon Musk, Amazon's Jeff Bezos, Meta's Mark Zuckerberg, Apple's Tim Cook and TikTok's Shou Chew.
Chinese Vice President Han Zheng also attended the event.
Joe Rogan, whose podcast Trump appeared on during the campaign, was seen in the Rotunda, as was former Fox News host Tucker Carlson and Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk.
Singer Carrie Underwood made an appearance as well, singing "America the Beautiful" after Trump was sworn in.
Spotted in the Emancipation Hall overflow room were YouTube celebs Jake and Logan Paul, UFC fighter Conor McGregor and podcaster Theo Von.
Many GOP leaders were seen in the Capitol, including former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani, former Republican leader Sen. Mitch McConnell, former U.S. Speaker of the House John Boehner, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio and Arkansas Sen. Tom Cotton.
Among them were a number of Republican governors, including Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin, Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp and North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum.
Numerous Democrats were also present, including New York Mayor Eric Adams, former Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker and Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar.
Some Democrats said they would not attend the inauguration, including former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who attended Trump’s inauguration in 2017. A spokesperson for Pelosi confirmed she would skip the event, but did not say why.
In an Instagram story, New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said she would skip the inauguration, saying she does not "celebrate rapists," referencing the numerous sexual assault allegations against Trump.
In an post on X, Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar criticized fellow Democrats who called Trump a threat to democracy but are now "willing to be there and clap for him."
"They lied to you and your criticism/anger should be rightfully directed at them," Omar wrote.
