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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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[-] hightrix@lemmy.world 10 points 13 hours ago* (last edited 13 hours ago)

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.

[-] jmcs@discuss.tchncs.de 18 points 22 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 30 points 1 day ago

I guess this is how we make a list.

Nothing will meaningfully improve until the rich fear for their lives

[-] Nyxicas@kbin.melroy.org 98 points 1 day 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 44 points 1 day ago

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

[-] FenrirIII@lemmy.world 3 points 16 hours ago

It's going to be a long line.

[-] breadsmasher@lemmy.world 63 points 1 day ago
[-] HellsBelle@sh.itjust.works 79 points 1 day 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 17 points 1 day ago

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

[-] snekerpimp@lemmy.world 28 points 1 day ago

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

[-] WeUnite@lemm.ee 2 points 21 hours ago

He's acting president.

[-] CmdrShepard42@lemm.ee 4 points 1 day 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.

[-] Blackout@fedia.io 34 points 1 day ago

Overthrowing a democracy is expensive

[-] fluxion@lemmy.world 14 points 1 day ago

Pretty cheap if you're a billionaire

[-] Blackout@fedia.io 7 points 22 hours ago

That's because they socialize the cost.

[-] psmgx@lemmy.world 17 points 1 day ago

RIP US democracy.

[-] newthrowaway20@lemmy.world 44 points 1 day ago
[-] cybervseas@lemmy.world 23 points 1 day ago

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

[-] meco03211@lemmy.world 8 points 1 day 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 1 day ago

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

[-] JeeBaiChow@lemmy.world 24 points 1 day ago

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

[-] Zier@fedia.io 10 points 1 day 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.

[-] fluxion@lemmy.world 11 points 1 day ago
[-] reddig33@lemmy.world 21 points 1 day ago

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

[-] FlyingSquid@lemmy.world 10 points 1 day ago

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

[-] beansbeansbeans@lemmy.world 3 points 1 day 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 16 points 1 day ago

One more reason to hate these guys.

[-] Diplomjodler3@lemmy.world 10 points 1 day ago
[-] avidamoeba@lemmy.ca 0 points 1 day 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 6 points 22 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.

[-] avidamoeba@lemmy.ca 2 points 14 hours ago* (last edited 13 hours ago)

I think it's useful for people to consider that he's not that out of the ordinary. Instead he's just blatantly transparent, whereas others have been more covert. E.g. Reagan did receive a handbook from the Heritage Foundation. He implemented 60% of it within a year. That's the same Heritage Foundation that produced Project 2025. I think understanding that could help people look for solutions that stop perpetuating the ordinary that's gotten us to where we are today. And yes, of course there are differences between any two candidates or presidents, some significant in the way they affect the majority. Placed on a timeline however, they seem more like slight changes on the trend line towards a strong oligarchy.

[-] DrunkEngineer@lemmy.world 3 points 1 day 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
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