50,000 to 1 million dollars: this is the amount to attend the inauguration of the next president of the United States, Donald Trump, and a series of events which will be held on the sidelines, according to the prices consulted by the media American Axios. About ten days before the arrival of the leader at the White House, on January 20, a large number of first-rate American bosses are making, as usual, significant donations for his inauguration, hoping to carve out a privileged place with the future administration for the next four years.
The most generous donors will have the opportunity to attend a reception with Vice President James David Vance, as well as a “candlelight dinner”, where the Head of State and the First Lady will be present. But unlike previous inaugurations, that of Donald Trump’s second term promises to be the best financed in the history of the United States, having already received 200 million dollars, according to calculations by the New York Times.
An amount which far exceeds the 61 million raised by Joe Biden in 2021, or even the 106.7 million raised by Donald Trump in 2017. And for good reason: among the biggest sponsors, we find heavyweights from Wall Street, from tech , the automobile industry, or even the pharmaceutical industry, whose sectors of activity will be considerably affected by the economic measures announced by the next government.
Companies suspended from announcements on customs tariffs
Automakers Ford, General Motors and Toyota have indicated that they will each donate $1 million to the fundraising foundation, while the two American manufacturers will also provide vehicles for the ceremony. The auto industry is particularly concerned about the imposition of tariffs on imports from Mexico, Canada and China, “which would affect automakers producing vehicles throughout North America and beyond.” beyond”, notes the specialized site motor1.
Donations are also pouring in from the technology sector, which hopes to cooperate with the future Trump administration, at the end of a Biden mandate marked by an often harsh tone towards tech companies, accused of allowing disinformation and speeches to proliferate. of hatred. Among them, Sam Altman, the boss of OpenAI, paid a million dollars from his own pocket, according to AFP, as did Apple CEO Tim Cook. The latter is known to be close to Donald Trump, whom he met on numerous occasions to negotiate exemptions on customs tariffs, particularly on electronic components imported from China.
Uncertainties about the future administration
Amazon and Meta have also each pledged one million dollars, while Uber is donating two million, lists the American media Axios. Some donors are also in competition with the companies of Elon Musk, who has become one of Donald Trump’s closest advisors, and fear that the latter will obtain advantages. This is the case of Jeff Bezos, who in addition to Amazon (a company which will be affected by the increase in customs tariffs), launched Blue Origin, a space exploration company, a competitor to SpaceX, owned by Elon Musk.
Finally, among the seven-figure donors are representatives of Wall Street: Goldman Sachs, Bank of America, Citigroup, as well as the cryptocurrency exchanges Kraken and Coinbase. The pharmaceutical industry, for its part, intrigued by the appointment to Health of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. – a conspiratorial figure opposed to vaccination – is also trying to improve its relations with the next government. Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla, PhRMA CEO Stephen Ubl and Eli Lilly CEO David Ricks were among the pharmaceutical executives who met with Trump and Kennedy for dinner at Mar-a-Lago earlier this month. remind him Wall Street Journalwhich indicates that Pfizer and phRMA will finance the inauguration.
A total rehabilitation of Donald Trump
For the economic daily, this enthusiasm – including from companies previously opposed to the billionaire – is the mark of a rehabilitation of Donald Trump in the markets. “At least eleven companies that had committed to suspending their financing after the attack on the Capitol […] “some give more for his inauguration than they had ever done for previous ceremonies”, notes the WSJnaming Ford or Goldman Sachs.
“An old adage says that if you are not at the negotiating table, you are on the menu,” summarizes Kevin Madden, a Republican strategist quoted by the daily, who advises his corporate clients to get involved in negotiations. negotiations with the government. “EVERYONE WANTS TO BE MY FRIEND!!!”, Donald Trump quipped a few weeks ago on his Truth Social network.