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The $132 Billion Dinner: Meet The Tycoons Who Ate With Trump Last Night [1]

['Chase Peterson-Withorn', 'Forbes Staff']

Date: 2018-04-25

This article is more than 5 years old.

America’s first billionaire president hosted his first state dinner Tuesday night, a black-tie affair with a gilded guest list. Seven of Trump’s fellow billionaires, worth an estimated $128.5 billion altogether (not counting the president’s own $3.1 billion fortune), accepted invitations to dine with Trump and French president Emmanuel Macron.

Here are the moguls who were lucky enough to snag a seat in the State Dining Room, feast on spring lamb and jambalaya served on Clinton and Bush-era china and watch the Washington National Opera perform for the two heads of state:

Bernard Arnault

Net worth: $83.4 billion

Source of wealth: Chairman and CEO of luxury goods giant LVMH Moët Hennessy – Louis Vuitton

Trump connection: In January 2017, the French billionaire met with then-President Elect Trump in Trump Tower to discuss U.S. manufacturing.

Rupert Murdoch

Net worth: $15.3 billion

Source of wealth: Media mogul behind Fox News, The Wall Street Journal and the New York Post

Trump connection: Though Murdoch once urged Michael Bloomberg to run against Trump, he is a Trump and Kushner friend and informal advisor. Trump loves his TV network.

Stephen Schwarzman

Net worth: $12.4 billion

Source of wealth: Cofounder of private equity firm Blackstone

Trump connection: He chaired Trump's strategic and policy forum, which came to an end in August after a number of CEOs on the council distanced themselves from Trump in response to a violent white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia.

Henry Kravis

Net worth: $5.3 billion

Source of wealth: Cofounder of private equity firm KKR

Trump connection: Trump once floated Kravis’ name as a potential pick for U.S. Treasury Secretary.

Fred Smith

Net worth: $5.3 billion

Source of wealth: Founder of FedEx

Trump connection: A former fraternity brother of George W. Bush, Smith has publicly criticized Trump’s trade policies.

Ronald Lauder

Net worth: $4.1 billion

$4.1 billion Source of wealth: Est é e Lauder heir

Trump connection: The former ambassador to Austria is a longtime Trump friend. In January he defended Trump against charges of deteriorating mental health.

David Rubenstein

Net worth: $2.7 billion

Source of wealth: Cofounder of private equity firm Carlyle Group

Trump connection: A former Carter administration official, he’s a collector of presidential documents (including Abraham Lincoln-signed copies of the Emancipation Proclamation and the 13th Amendment). In 2016 he donated $18.5 million to restore the Lincoln Memorial and expand exhibits and research there.

Other notable names on the guest list: Apple CEO Tim Cook, who’s scheduled to meet with Trump in the Oval Office on Wednesday afternoon, Lockheed Martin CEO Marillyn Hewson, IBM CEO Ginni Rometty, IMF head Christine Lagarde and former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger.

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[1] Url: https://www.forbes.com/sites/chasewithorn/2018/04/25/the-132-billion-dinner-meet-the-tycoons-who-ate-with-trump-last-night/#384c8f67251b

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