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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.

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[-] jmcs@discuss.tchncs.de 11 points 8 hours ago

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.

[-] AlecSadler@sh.itjust.works 18 points 11 hours ago

I guess this is how we make a list.

[-] DeadWorldWalking@lemmy.blahaj.zone 50 points 14 hours ago

Nothing will meaningfully improve until the rich fear for their lives

[-] snekerpimp@lemmy.world 26 points 14 hours ago

Why is it trump’s fund? I thought musk was the president

[-] WeUnite@lemm.ee 2 points 7 hours ago

He's acting president.

[-] CmdrShepard42@lemm.ee 4 points 13 hours ago

It must be like the charity bowl they put out at events. Musk doesn't need the money but Trump is desperate for it.

[-] psmgx@lemmy.world 16 points 13 hours ago

RIP US democracy.

[-] breadsmasher@lemmy.world 51 points 16 hours ago
[-] Zier@fedia.io 10 points 12 hours ago

Dumb Donnie will keep most of the money and everyone will get 1 cocktail weenie as a snack. Fleecing the idiots is his job.

[-] Nyxicas@kbin.melroy.org 86 points 18 hours ago

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!

[-] skulblaka@sh.itjust.works 37 points 15 hours ago

Don't just look at them - take notes. These are names we will want to remember later.

[-] FenrirIII@lemmy.world 1 points 1 hour ago

It's going to be a long line.

[-] HellsBelle@sh.itjust.works 74 points 19 hours ago

“EVERYBODY WANTS TO BE MY FRIEND!!!” Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social on Thursday.

lmfao

What a fucking idjit.

[-] Rhaedas@fedia.io 15 points 17 hours ago

He is. He is also the one getting paid, so he's not alone.

[-] fluxion@lemmy.world 11 points 13 hours ago
[-] Blackout@fedia.io 31 points 17 hours ago

Overthrowing a democracy is expensive

[-] fluxion@lemmy.world 13 points 13 hours ago

Pretty cheap if you're a billionaire

[-] Blackout@fedia.io 7 points 7 hours ago

That's because they socialize the cost.

[-] JeeBaiChow@lemmy.world 24 points 16 hours ago

Anyone got a full list? Asking for a friend...

[-] newthrowaway20@lemmy.world 39 points 18 hours ago
[-] cybervseas@lemmy.world 20 points 18 hours ago

This is way less than 10%. He's a bargain.

[-] meco03211@lemmy.world 6 points 15 hours ago

The percentage isn't the point. The amount is. It's telling the world who is under his thumb.

[-] Bacano@lemmy.world 1 points 13 hours ago

Did you ... Did you donate $420,000.69 to my inauguration fund?

[-] reddig33@lemmy.world 19 points 18 hours ago

Will they be paying people to fill the mall during the inauguration this time?

[-] FlyingSquid@lemmy.world 9 points 18 hours ago

No need to pay when you can force them at gunpoint.

[-] beansbeansbeans@lemmy.world 3 points 15 hours ago

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.

[-] JiveTurkey@lemmy.world 15 points 18 hours ago

One more reason to hate these guys.

[-] Diplomjodler3@lemmy.world 9 points 18 hours ago
[-] avidamoeba@lemmy.ca 0 points 14 hours ago

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.

[-] Snapz@lemmy.world 5 points 7 hours ago

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.

[-] DrunkEngineer@lemmy.world 3 points 11 hours ago

Indeed, here are some of the donors for the Obama inauguration: https://www.opensecrets.org/obama/inaug.php

this post was submitted on 25 Dec 2024
221 points (97.8% liked)

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