Rachel Maddow asked “how is this happening?” and questioned why “people with tons of money” were seated prominently at Donald Trump’s inauguration as she reported on the historic event live on-air.

The Left-wing MSNBC host, who appeared grim as Mr Trump took the oath of office on Monday, also suggested that he had developed a Messiah complex and criticised his “grievance”-laden speech.

Others who appeared on the broadcaster compared Mr Trump to a “cult leader”, branded his inauguration a “farce”, and said he would undermine the US Constitution.

Maddow, whose ratings tumbled in the wake of Mr Trump’s November election win, expressed bafflement as she noted the number of billionaires who had joined the Republican on the inauguration dais.

“Kristi Noem, the nominee for homeland security, next to Apple CEO Tim Cook. How is this happening in America?” she asked.

“How is this happening? Why are people with tons of money up on the dais with cabinet nominees and family members?”

She then noted that: “Jeff Bezos, the billionaire owner of The Washington Post and Amazon” was near Robert F Kennedy Jr, whom she called a “ wildly controversial nominee to be Health and Human Services secretary”.