By choosing foreign guests, Trump is clearly setting an ideological direction, the portal assesses, adding that the guest list says a lot about the political direction of his administration, as well as who might have the president's attention once he takes office in the White House.

Politico states that the presidential inauguration is usually a traditional event and democratic ritual intended for a domestic audience, while foreign diplomats usually attend out of courtesy, and statesmen rarely participate in the ceremony.

Trump, of course, is not known for respecting tradition, he continues, adding that he invited to the inauguration many of the foreign leaders he spoke with on the phone or hosted in person at his Florida residence.

While Europe's centrist mainstream, led by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, has remained on the sidelines, many seats have been reserved for right-wing and nationalist politicians, according to Politico.

At the top of the guest list are leaders such as Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Argentine populist President Javier Millay. Meloni said she would come if her schedule allowed, while Millay confirmed her attendance a month ago, Politico reports.

Among those invited is Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, an admirer of Russian President Vladimir Putin and known as the "bad guy" of European politics, but his office announced that he would not be able to attend.

Trump also invited Chinese leader Xi Jinping to his inauguration last month, which, according to the new administration’s spokeswoman, Carolyn Levitt, is a signal of “a willingness to engage in open dialogue” with the Chinese leader. But the invitation apparently caught Chinese diplomats by surprise — the Chinese embassy in Washington has yet to confirm whether it officially received the invitation for Xi, or whether he has responded, Politico adds.

Stating that Xi's attendance is unlikely, Politico adds, however, that it is clear that Xi wants to send a message of goodwill to Trump by sending a senior official to the event: The Financial Times reported last week that "potential candidates to go to Washington include Vice Premier Han Zheng and Foreign Minister Wang Yi." Wang Yi's work.

The arrival was also confirmed by the foreign ministers of India, Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, and Japan, Takeshi Iwaya.

Trump's transition team has also extended invitations to El Salvador's President Najib Bukele, who has not yet confirmed his arrival, as well as Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa, who will attend the ceremony.

Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro was also invited, but will not be able to attend because his passport was confiscated due to the investigation, it added.

In addition to billionaire Elon Musk, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and Meta boss Mark Zuckerberg, the ceremony will also be attended by tech moguls from across the Atlantic – French billionaire and tech entrepreneur Xavier Niel and his wife.

From the United Kingdom, Trump's transition team has invited the British ambassador to the United States, Karen Pierce, as well as the leader of the right-wing Reform Party and outspoken Brexit campaigner Nigel Farage, who, despite a public spat with close Trump ally Musk, has confirmed his attendance.

From France, one of the leaders of the far-right, Eric Zemmour, as well as his partner, MEP Sarah Knafo, have also confirmed their presence. The French ambassador to Washington, Laurent Billy, has also been invited to the ceremony and will attend.

Trump’s allies also opened the door to the German far right, extending an invitation to the leader of the Alternative for Germany (AfD), Alice Weidel, although her office told Politico that she would not be able to attend due to her busy campaign ahead of the German election on February 23. It is unclear whether anyone else from the AfD will replace her. However, Jürgen Hart, foreign policy spokesman for the conservative Christian Democratic Union, will attend, as will Berlin’s envoy to the United States, Andreas Michalis.

Santiago Abascal, leader of the Spanish ultranationalist Vox party, was invited in his capacity as president of the European Patriots party, which unites members from 11 EU countries and has 86 MEPs in the European Parliament. André Ventura, leader of the right-wing populist party Chega, was also invited by Portugal, along with other representatives of the European far right.

Former Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki, who has been at odds with Brussels over a long-standing dispute over the rule of law, also confirmed his presence.

Almost as interesting as the guest list is the list of those not invited to Trump's second inauguration, Polico adds.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen was not invited, but the EU ambassador to Washington will also attend the ceremony.

Neither Marine Le Pen, a three-time presidential candidate in France and leader of the far-right, nor her political successor Jordan Bardella, were invited, according to Politico.