US business leaders set to break record on donations to Trump inaugural fund
US business leaders set to break record on donations to Trump inaugural fund
Donations, not restricted by campaign finance laws, come as industries seek favor with incoming administration
US business leaders are spending big on Donald Trump’s second inaugural fund, which is predicted to exceed even the record-setting $107m raised in 2017.
The donations, which are not restricted by campaign finance laws, come as industries and business leaders seek to curry favor with the incoming administration after the president-elect decisively won a second, non-consecutive term in November.
Some of the planned donations reportedly include $1m each from Jeff Bezos’s Amazon, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and Facebook parent company Meta, led by Mark Zuckerberg.
Hedge-fund manager Ken Griffin has said he plans to donate $1m, Bloomberg reported; Uber and its CEO Dara Khosrowshahi are reported to be chipping in $1m each; and Toyota, Ford and General Motors are each peeling off $1m. Ford is also reportedly coupling its donation with a fleet of vehicles.
All these rich guys are donating the same amount? Yeah, that doesn’t feel like a donation but more like a purchase/fee/protection money.
At that level it is like giving pocket change to the crazy homeless guy so he doesn’t yell at you
Nothing will meaningfully improve until the rich fear for their lives
Yup, look at them, people. Look at the big-named people all lining up to kiss the biggest corrupted ass that this country has ever seen. It's like they're paying a million just to suck Trump's flaccid old cock. Look at them!
Don't just look at them - take notes. These are names we will want to remember later.
It's going to be a long line.
I guess this is how we make a list.
Luigi
True American hero!!!
Luigi
Luigi
To be fair, they didn't start the tradition of having ridiculous expensive coronation ceremonies paid with legalized bribes every four years. And even that is just a symptom of the monarchical nature of the US presidency.
“EVERYBODY WANTS TO BE MY FRIEND!!!” Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social on Thursday.
lmfao
What a fucking idjit.
He is. He is also the one getting paid, so he's not alone.
Why is it trump’s fund? I thought musk was the president
It must be like the charity bowl they put out at events. Musk doesn't need the money but Trump is desperate for it.
He's acting president.
Overthrowing a democracy is expensive
Pretty cheap if you're a billionaire
That's because they socialize the cost.
RIP US democracy.
Anyone got a full list? Asking for a friend...
Jeff Bezos (Amazon), Sam Altman (OpenAi), Mark Zuckerberg (Meta), Dara Khosrowshahi (Uber), Jim Loree (Black and Decker), Toyota, Ford, General Motors, Intuit, Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America and many other undisclosed in the article.
The part particularly concerning to me is
Trump aides have indicated that the fundraising isn’t about the money but a symbolic means to exact an apology for any previous perceived lapse of loyalty.
a very fascist wording. You don't have to be "loyal" to the President, unless he's a dictator.
Heh. I only use one of those. Time to make a change, then.
Will they be paying people to fill the mall during the inauguration this time?
No need to pay when you can force them at gunpoint.
It's the only way they'll get anyone to show up. And with how fragile his ego is, this is likely high on his list.
It'll be hilarious if the crowd is even smaller than last time.
Dumb Donnie will keep most of the money and everyone will get 1 cocktail weenie as a snack. Fleecing the idiots is his job.
Bribes
One more reason to hate these guys.
Spineless fuckers!
They donate to every inauguration. Apparently that's traditional. Expecting billionaires to show spine here is to expect them to go against their financial interests. They wouldn't be billionaires of they were willing to do that.
Yes. But your statement seeks to normalize trump as any other president. He is not.
The point isn't that they've given before, it's that they are giving to him, now, with all of his clearly stated intent to harm people and American democracy.
Meta is least surprising, they hired one of the actual authors of Project 2025 and he still works there today AFAIK.
Indeed, here are some of the donors for the Obama inauguration: https://www.opensecrets.org/obama/inaug.php
