Washington DC:
Wall Street and corporate America, which were Kamala Harris’ main supporters in the run-up to the US presidential election, are now trying to infiltrate President-elect Donald Trump, with several business leaders appointed to his inaugural committee. He has promised to donate a large sum of money. . The Republican leadership’s second inaugural fund could even exceed the record $107 million raised in 2017, according to reports.
According to a report in the Guardian, some of the biggest donors include OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, Jeff Bezos’ Amazon, and Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta, which each donated 1 million yen. He has pledged to donate $1,000.
Uber and its CEO Dara Khosrowshahi, as well as auto giants Toyota, General Motors and Ford, were also stripped of $1 million each, according to reports. Ford is also reportedly adding more vehicles to the list of donations.
Hedge fund manager Ken Griffin also plans to donate $1 million, Bloomberg reports. Further donations from financial leaders are also reportedly being considered.
Why would anyone want to be Trump’s friend?
Last week, the president-elect wrote on his Truth Social: “Everyone wants to be my friend!!!”
Emboldened by his landslide election victory, Donald Trump has promised to overhaul U.S. economic policy in ways that could greatly benefit a small number of favored industries. He has also placed an emphasis on face-to-face meetings, encouraging many executives from U.S. industry and finance to visit Mar-a-Lago, the headquarters of Trump’s transition team.
The inaugural committee is appointed by the president-elect and traditionally plans and funds most of the pageantry surrounding the transfer of power from one administration to the next.
Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Meta, was among those who visited the Mar-a-Lago property. Trump also recently met with Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai, Apple CEO Tim Cook, and Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos.
Trump’s inaugural committee will be a “unique opportunity” for business leaders to gain influence and access to the president-elect, Brendan Glavine, director of research at OpenSecret, a political finance nonprofit, told CNBC. Ta.
“None of these people want to be President Trump’s punching bag for four years,” he added.
“One of the oldest adages in Washington is that if you’re not at the table, you’re on the menu, and the price of admission to get a seat at the table keeps going up,” says Political Director Michael Beckel. The reform advocacy group Issue One told the media.
Donations set new record
ABC News reports that Trump Vance’s inaugural committee is on track to set a new record for inaugural fundraising, with pledged donations already exceeding the $150 million fundraising goal. Ta.
Trump’s first inauguration holds the record for the biggest fundraiser with $107 million, followed by Joe Biden’s 2021 inauguration, which raised $63 million, followed by Barack Obama’s 2009 inauguration. The inauguration raised $53 million, while the 2013 inauguration raised $42 million.
Companies following the Republican Party line
The Wall Street Journal reports that dozens of U.S. companies that pledged to “withhold support from companies that contest the 2020 election results” are now using their plans to finance President Donald Trump’s inauguration. It was reported that there was a line.
The report identifies 11 such companies, including Ford, Intuit, Toyota, and Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA), each of which has pledged to donate $1 million each.
Other major donors to Trump’s inauguration include Goldman Sachs, General Motors, Bank of America, AT&T and Stanley Black & Decker.
This is reportedly the first time in at least a decade that Goldman Sachs, Intuit, Toyota and PhRMA have supported an inaugural fund.
The newspaper reported that organizations that donated $1 million or raised $2 million for Trump’s inauguration included a reception featuring Cabinet nominees and a “candlelight” ceremony with President Donald Trump and Melania Trump. Six tickets will be given away to a series of pre-inauguration events, including a light dinner. And black tie ball.
“The old saying is, what’s not on the table is what’s on the menu. There’s a lot of work to be done in 2025 and 2026, but that process starts now,” says Kevin.・Mr. Madden said. a longtime Republican strategist told the publication.
