Tech giants, major corporations, and wealthy individuals have thrown millions at Donald Trump’s inauguration fund.
In fact the hefty donations have shattered previous inauguration fundraising records, bringing in over $170 million.
The funds guarantee the inauguration will be a glitzy affair, but also reveal the jockeying between corporate heavyweights looking to curry favor and influence from the incoming president.
Among the known donors are:
- Amazon: $1 million, along with the promise to stream the event on Prime Video.
- Meta: $1 million.
- Google: $1 million, with the promise to livestream the event globally via YouTube and provide a direct link on its homepage.
- Microsoft: $1 million.
- Ford and Toyota: $1 million each, alongside providing vehicles for the inauguration events.
- Robinhood: $2 million.
- Ripple: $5 million in XRP cryptocurrency.
- Boeing: $1 million
- Hyndai: $1 million
- Delta Air Lines: $1 million
- Intuit: $1 million
- General Motors: $1 million
Additionally OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has stated he planned to donate $1 million, and energy giant Chevron has confirmed a donation but has not disclosed the amount.
Close Trump associate and fan Elon Musk has previously given over $119 million into a super PAC that supported Trump’s election campaign.
Donors to the inauguration receive exclusive perks depending on their contribution levels. Those who donate at least $250,000 were rewarded with two tickets including the Make America Great Again Victory Rally on January 18, a candlelit dinner with Trump and the incoming First Lady on January 19, or the swearing-in ceremony, parade, and black-tie inaugural ball on January 20.
Those contributing $1 million were promised all the above, as well as two seats at a dinner with Vice President-elect JD Vance and his wife, Usha Vance. However the New York Times reported that tickets to these events were running out, even for big donors.
There are no legal limits on the size of donations to an inaugural committee. However, federal law requires the inauguration committee to disclose the identities of all donors who contribute $200 or more. This list will be made public 90 days after the inauguration.
The significant contributions underscore how corporations and wealthy donors are vying for approval and influence with Trump.
Many of the companies involved have vested interests in Trump’s policy and capricious favor. Amazon, Meta, and Boeing are under regulatory scrutiny, and both Elon Musk’s SpaceX and Jeff Bezos’s Blue Origin compete for NASA contracts. Chevron has substantial interest in Trump’s energy and oil policies.
According to NPR, Tesla CEO Elon Musk, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew, and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman have all been invited to sit in the Capitol Rotunda during the inauguration, even with the change in location and a minimization in available seating.