Have world leaders ever attended US inaugurations? What to know as Trump sends invites
President-elect Donald Trump has invited multiple world leaders — including allies and adversaries — to his inauguration next month. Their attendance would be unprecedented, according to a historian.
Among those who have been invited to the Jan. 20 ceremony are Chinese President Xi Jinping, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Argentinian President Javier Milei.
Milei, a Trump ally and free market conservative, confirmed he would be attending the swearing-in event in a Dec. 17 post on social media.
Break with tradition
The presence of a single foreign leader, let alone several, would break with longstanding U.S. tradition, Thomas Balcerski, a presidential historian at Eastern Connecticut State University, told McClatchy News.
“Inviting heads of state to Inauguration Day is something new under the sun,” Balcerski said.
In fact, in the past, foreign leaders have been expressly forbidden from attending the day’s events.
For example, in 2009, ahead of then President-elect Barack Obama’s inauguration, the State Department sent a letter to embassies saying, “As in the past, foreign delegations will not be invited to Washington for this occasion,” according to The San Diego Union-Tribune.
Why is this? There are several important factors to consider, Balcerski said.
For one, in the early days of the republic, it would have taken a long time for world leaders to travel to the U.S. for the ceremony.
“Another political point to consider: a visit by a head of state is usually occasion for rolling out the red carpet. A joint press conference and state dinner typically follow,” Balcerski said. “On Inauguration Day, no such treatment would be afforded. Perhaps because of this, foreign leaders have saved their visits for a later occasion.”
By cutting ties with tradition and sending invites far and wide, Trump is helping to bolster America’s relationships across the globe, Trump spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said in a recent interview, according to CNN.
“This is an example of President Trump creating an open dialogue with leaders of countries that are not just allies but our adversaries and our competitors, too,” Leavitt said.
Balcerski had a different interpretation of the invitations.
“Judging by the numerous visits already made by heads of state to Mar-a-Lago,” attending the inauguration can be seen as “a requirement to curry favor and prove loyalty to President-elect Trump,” he said.
This story was originally published December 19, 2024 at 5:45 AM with the headline "Have world leaders ever attended US inaugurations? What to know as Trump sends invites."