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A Brazilian meat company and a mysterious family trust are among the biggest donors to President Donald Trump’s record $239 million haul for his 2025 inauguration, for which he raised $239 million,
For his 2021 inauguration, President Joe Biden raised $61 million, compared to $44 million and $53 million for President Barack Obama in 2013 and 2009, respectively. In 2017, Trump raised $107 million.
Trump raked in contributions from corporations and wealthy people, more than a dozen of whom the president has since appointed to serve in his administration.
Companies and wealthy individuals have used inaugurations as opportunities to curry favor with incoming presidents and administrations. Some of those who donated to the president’s inaugural committee were appointed as ambassadors or to the cabinet. Companies that had business with federal agencies or were hoping for regulatory decisions in their favor also made donations, The Washington Post noted. Several firms have attempted to influence the administration on issues such as taxes, trade, and federal spending.
Tech and crypto companies spent tens of millions on the inauguration after they battled regulatory challenges during Trump’s first stint in the White House, as well as during the Biden administration.
Inaugural funds are usually used to pay for opening ceremonies, the inaugural parade, galas, and balls; however, this year, the events were scaled back due to freezing conditions. The committee can decide how to spend the funds that are left over after the events, such as using them for a presidential library or events like the recent White House Easter Egg Roll.
More than a dozen donors who gave at least $1 million to Trump’s inauguration also donated to the Biden inaugural committee.
Investment banker Warren Stephens donated $4 million to Trump and has been nominated to be the U.S. ambassador to the U.K. Similarly, real estate investor Melissa Argyros has been nominated to serve as the ambassador to Latvia after donating $2 million. Jared Isaacman, a billionaire businessman and the nominee to be the next NASA administrator, also donated $2 million. Dan Newlin, a Florida attorney, donated $1 million before being nominated as the next ambassador to Colombia.
The top donor among companies is the poultry company Pilgrim’s Pride, a subsidiary of JBS, the Brazilian meat company, which donated $5 million. It could benefit from a recent effort by the Trump White House to ease regulations on poultry processing. On January 27, it agreed to pay a fine of $41 million in an antitrust case in which it faced claims that it artificially inflated its stock price. However, the company rejected those claims and didn’t admit to doing anything wrong.
The cryptocurrency firm Ripple Labs donated $4.9 million, and in March, it revealed that the Securities and Exchange Commission had dropped litigation regarding whether the firm’s cryptocurrency met the legal definition of a security. Similarly, the financial technology company Robinhood Markets, which donated $2 million, said in February that the SEC had closed an investigation into its crypto business.
A mysterious family trust, the Tang Family Trust, also donated $2 million; however, it remains unclear who the trust is connected to, The Post noted.
The financial services firm Cantor Fitzgerald donated $1 million. Its former chairman and CEO, Howard Lutnick, was subsequently nominated and confirmed as the Secretary of Commerce.
Other individuals who donated $1 million include Ken Howery, a former ambassador to Sweden who’s now nominated to be the ambassador to Denmark, Education Secretary Linda McMahon, and the nominee to be the ambassador to Italy, Tilman Fertitta.
Scott Bessent, the treasury secretary, donated $250,000, and Edward Walsh, the nominee to be the ambassador to Ireland, donated $25,000, as did his wife, Lynn Walsh.
The oil and gas company Chevron donated $2 million to the inauguration, after not making a donation to Biden’s 2021 inauguration, following his ban on donations from fossil fuel companies.
English (US) ·