At Donald Trump’s second inauguration, five of the world’s wealthiest men—Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, Mark Zuckerberg, Bernard Arnault, and Sergey Brin—stood together in support. But seven weeks later, they collectively lost an astonishing $209 billion, according to Bloomberg. The S&P 500 fell nearly 7% after Trump took office, reversing the pre-inauguration market highs that had briefly boosted their fortunes.
Musk’s Tesla stock had soared 98% before the inauguration, but after political backlash and declining sales in Germany, he lost about $145 billion, erasing what was once the largest fortune ever recorded. Bezos’ Amazon, which had donated $1 million to the inauguration, saw a 15% drop in sales, costing him $31 billion.
Google co-founder Sergey Brin lost $23 billion when Alphabet’s shares fell 7% after missing revenue targets, while Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta stock dipped 21%, cutting his wealth by $8 billion. French luxury magnate Bernard Arnault fared slightly better but still lost $5 billion as tariffs on European goods hit his LVMH empire.
In total, the five moguls’ companies shed $1.43 trillion in market value. What began as a show of political unity at the inauguration ended as a harsh lesson in volatility—proof that even billionaires aren’t immune to the unpredictable ripple effects of politics and the markets.