From Meta $1m to Trump inviting Xi to inauguration. A hawk for Voice of America

A new twist in the march towards the inauguration ceremony of the 47th president of the United States. The latest news in the run-up to the Inauguration Day on 20 January 2025 concerns guests: according to CBS reports citing several sources, the president-elect has invited Chinese President Xi Jinping to attend. The invitation could signal an effort by Trump to woo his Chinese counterpart just as he threatens new tariffs against the world's second largest economy.

Xi's participation, however, would be unprecedented: no Chinese leader has ever joined a US president's inauguration ceremony, which is usually attended by ambassadors. No foreign head of state has attended in more than a century, according to State Department records dating back to 1874.

Xi's participation would also entail huge political risks, as well as the potential discomfort of sitting outside for hours on a cold January day in Washington. The low temperatures during President Joe Biden's inauguration in 2021 generated memes of politicians like Senator Bernie Sanders, who sat huddled in a thick jacket, Covid mask and gloves on the inauguration stage.

Trump's inaugural fund that will finance the inaugural ceremony - and this is another news of the last hours - will also count on a one million dollar donation from Meta Platforms Inc., with a view, the company says, to building a positive relationship with the new US administration after a history of tensions.While small, the donation was not made by Meta for President Joe Biden or for Trump's previous term, and follows a November dinner between Trump and Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg at Mar-a-Lago. A Meta spokesperson confirmed the donation, previously reported by the Wall Street Journal, but would not comment further.

Meta owns Facebook and Instagram, platforms that Trump used extensively during his first term until his accounts were suspended following the 6 January 2021 riot at the US Capitol. Meta banned his accounts for fear that Trump would trigger further violence by denying Biden's election victory. Trump's accounts were reinstated in 2023, but he continued to speak openly about the perceived injustice of Zuckerberg. In March, Trump called Meta an 'enemy of the people' and later insinuated that Zuckerberg should be jailed for alleged election interference.