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No African Head of State made the cut in Trump’s inauguration guest list

This could perhaps be an early pointer on where the continent ranks on his list of to-do things as he returns to the White House for the second time

United States President Donald Trump has extended invitations to a handful of world leaders to attend his inauguration later today in a break with centuries of protocol but the most striking thing is that no single African head of state or government made the cut.

This could perhaps be an early pointer on where the continent ranks on his list of to-do things as he returns to the White House for the second time after a defeat in 2020, itself a first.

Traditionally, foreign heads of state were not a part of US presidential inaugurations, which has been entirely a domestic affair with foreign capitals being represented by their ambassadors to Washington.

Foreign leaders showing interest in attending were politely, but firmly, told to stay home, according to those familiar with previous inaugurations.

Last month, Trump, however, floated the idea of inviting foreign dignitaries, after The Associated Press at the time, citing State Department historical records, reported that no head of state has previously made an official visit to the U.S. for the inauguration.

“And some people said, ‘Wow, that’s a little risky, isn’t it?’” he said. “And I said, ‘Maybe it is. We’ll see. We’ll see what happens.’ But we like to take little chances.”

According to the US News & World Report, many of Trump’s invitees are far-right leaders with whom he has had a close relationship, such as Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban and Argentinian President Javier Milei.

Who Has Been Invited and What Are Their Current Plans? 

  • Chinese President Xi Jinping of China appears to have been invited but will be sending a top envoy to represent his government. The Chinese Foreign Ministry then announced on Jan. 17 that Xi’s representative would be Vice President Han Zheng. Zheng’s attendance will mark the firs time a high-ranking Communist official will be attending a US presidential inauguration.
  • Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni of Italy has confirmed she received an invitation and said she is checking her schedule.
  • Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has confirmed he received an invitation but has not announced his plans. Sources close to him have reportedly said he is still deciding whether to attend.
  • Argentine President Javier Milei plans to attend.
  • El Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele has confirmed he received an invitation but has not announced his plans.
  • Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar will attend on behalf of the Indian government.
  • Far-right United Kingdom politician Nigel Farage plans on attending.
  • Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has confirmed he received an invitation, but his passport has been revoked due to an open investigation and he can’t travel as a result.
  • Far-right French politician Eric Zemmour has accepted the invitation.
  • Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya has confirmed plans to attend.
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Who Has Not Been Invited and What Have They Said? 

  • Russian President Vladimir Putin: The Kremlin has confirmed Putin did not receive an invitation. Trump suggested during a press conference that he would meet with his Russian counterpart separately after the inauguration.
  • Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu: Despite a close relationship between the two, the embattled leader was not invited. Netanyahu reportedly planned to attend even after a recent prostate removal surgery. But an aide last week said that would not be the case.
  • Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said he would like to attend but that it would be inappropriate unless he was personally invited. Trump confirmed on Dec. 16 that he had not invited Zelenskyy but added that if the Ukrainian leader wanted to take part, he would “like to have him.”
  • North Korean leader Kim Jong Un: While it’s not confirmed that Trump snubbed the dictator whose international profile he elevated during his first term in office, Pyongyang has given no indication that it has received or accepted such an offer.

List compiled by US News and World Report

 

 

 

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