Big Tech funds Trump's inaugural

Technology

The Big Story

Trump's inauguration fund gets tech cash

The leaders of multiple major technology companies are throwing money into President-elect Trump's inauguration fund, raising questions over what their relationship with the incoming administration will look like.

Meta and Amazon announced this week they were each contributing $1 million to Trump's inauguration fund. while OpenAI's Sam Altman said Friday he would give the same amount from his personal funds.

Altman, who had a falling out with Musk following his departure from OpenAI, confirmed Friday he would also be giving $1 million to Trump's inaugural fund, but with his own money.

“President Trump will lead our country into the age of AI, and I am eager to support his efforts to ensure America stays ahead,” Altman said in a statement Friday shared by his spokesperson.

Meta's donation came just weeks after CEO Mark Zuckerberg's visit with Trump at his Mar-a-Lago resort, which was largely seen as an attempt to court the president-elect as he returns to the White House.

Zuckerberg and Trump had a somewhat contentious relationship since Facebook banned the former president from the platform following the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection. At one point, the former president labeled Facebook an “enemy of the people.”

Trump’s account was reinstated in 2023 and the president-elect has changed his tune on Zuckerberg, stating in October he likes the tech executive “much better now.”

The Meta CEO did not endorse a candidate during the 2024 presidential election, but occasionally touched upon politics on the campaign trail.

Meanwhile, Amazon owner Jeff Bezos has also had a rocky relationship with Trump, who went after Amazon and the Washington Post in his first term.

In 2019, the e-commerce giant argued in court it was not picked for a Pentagon contract due to Bezos's past criticism of Trump.

While contributions to presidential inaugural funds are not new, some observers have seen the moves as part of broader efforts by the tech industry to court Trump ahead of his second term, especially in the wake of his emerging relationship with tech billionaire Elon Musk.

Read more at TheHill.com.

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Topics

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