Amazon, Meta donate $1 million each to Trump's inauguration fund
Amazon and Meta have both donated $1 million to President-elect Donald Trump's inauguration fund. The move comes as part of a wider trend among tech companies looking to build better ties with the incoming administration. Along with the cash donation, Amazon will also stream Trump's inauguration on its Prime Video service. This streaming is deemed an in-kind contribution worth another $1 million. The company had previously streamed President Joe Biden's inauguration on the same platform in 2021.
Meta's donation follows Zuckerberg-Trump meeting
Earlier on Thursday, Meta also announced a $1 million donation to Trump's inauguration fund. The announcement came after a private meeting between Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Trump at Mar-a-Lago. Stephen Miller, appointed deputy chief of staff for Trump's second term, said Zuckerberg supports Trump's economic plans.
Bezos expresses optimism about Trump's 2nd term
Amazon founder Jeff Bezos is likely to meet Trump next week. Despite past disagreements and criticisms, Bezos has recently expressed optimism about Trump's second term. In 2019, Amazon had claimed in court that Trump's bias affected its chances of winning a Pentagon contract. However, the Biden administration later pursued contracts with both Amazon and Microsoft.
Corporate donations to presidential inaugurals: A tradition
Traditionally, corporate contributions have accounted for a large share of donors to presidential inaugurals. In 2009, then-President-elect Barack Obama declined corporate donations but reversed his decision for his second inaugural in 2013. Google contributed $285,000 each to Trump's first inaugural and Biden's inaugural while Microsoft contributed $1 million to Obama's second inaugural but only $500,000 each to Trump in 2017 and Biden in 2021.
