Here's who shared a table at the Trump Inauguration lunch
President Trump's Inauguration lunch brought together lawmakers, Cabinet nominees, Supreme Court justices and distinguished guests Monday afternoon, in a quadrennial tradition that takes place after the swearing-in ceremony.
The attendees — a who’s who of Washington figures — noshed on crab cakes, ribeye steak and ice cream while sipping on wine and chatting in Statuary Hall, kicking off the first day of the Trump administration.
Several of the tables were composed of an interesting combination of individuals.
Trump and Vance sat at the head table with Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), the chair of the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies (JCCIC), seated between them. The trio were spotted chatting several times throughout the lunch, at times laughing.
Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), his wife, Kelly, Melania Trump, Usha Vance and Sen. Deb Fischer (R-Neb.), who is part of the JCCIC, also sat at the head table.
Nearby, Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas and his wife, Ginni, sat at a table with House Democratic Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar (Calif.), Ivanka Trump, Jared Kushner, Defense secretary nominee Pete Hegseth and House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.).
Aguilar notably served on the Jan. 6 select committee, which interviewed Ginni Thomas, a conservative activist, after questions stemmed from emails she reportedly exchanged with John Eastman, the lawyer who drafted memos on how Trump could remain in power.
At another table, Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito and his wife, Martha-Ann, sat with Apple CEO Tim Cook, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), Donald Trump Jr., attorney general nominee Pam Bondi and House Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-Minn.).
Schumer has slammed Alito for ethics issues on a number of occasions, calling him out for accepting gifts and vacations from billionaires. In May, Schumer zeroed in on Alito following a report that an upside-down flag after the 2020 election flew outside his home, which had become a symbol of the “Stop the Steal” movement.
A few tables over, Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh sat with Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Reps. Debbie Dingell (D-Mich.) and Suzan DelBene (D-Wash.).
The pairing of Kavanaugh and Zuckerberg comes after the Supreme Court acted on cases involving Meta.
Last week, the bench declined to take up Meta's appeal in a class action suit brought by advertisers against the company. And in November, the high court dropped Facebook’s appeal in a securities lawsuit against the social media network.
Across the room, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos was seated with Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) — Trump’s nominee to be secretary of State — Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) and Barron Trump.
At another table, Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch sat with Sens. John Cornyn (R-Texas) and Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), Interior secretary nominee Doug Burgum and Rep. Guy Reschenthaler (R-Pa.).
Attendees got up and mingled with others throughout the lunch, making for some notable interactions.
At one point, Sen. Todd Young (R-Ind.), who said he would not support Trump in 2024, went up to the newly inaugurated president at the head table and spoke to him.
And Rep. Gregory Meeks (N.Y.), the top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, was seen chatting with Jared Kushner, the president’s son-in-law who oversaw Middle East policy during the first Trump administration.
Zach Schonfeld contributed.
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