Trump, the record of 239 million for the inauguration: the major contribution (5 million) by a manufacturer of chickens
According to data from the Federal Element Commission, over 140 companies or individuals have donated at least one million dollars. The three major donors. An increasingly subtle border between politics and private interests
The inauguration of the second presidential mandate of Donald Trump, last January 20, beat any financing record in American history: 239 million dollars collected, more than double the previous primacy, also held by Trump of 107 million in 2017. To reveal it is a communication filed at the Federal election commission (FEC).
According to official data, over 140 individuals or companies have donated at least one million dollars each. Among these, prominent names of finance and technology: JPMorgan Chase, Delta Air Lines, Target, Amazon, Meta, and some investors linked to Elon Musk, such as John Hiring, Ken Howery and Keith Rabois. However, Musk, current presidential councilor, did not contribute directly, neither personally nor through his companies.
The major contribution, equal to 5 million dollars, comes from the Pilgrim’s Avicola company. Riple Inc., a company of the cryptocurrency sector, followed with just less, and Warren Stephens, republican donor and appointed by Trump British ambassador on the same day, on December 2, 2024, in which he paid 4 million dollars. These funding reveal the interest of large companies to consolidate the link with a leader who manages politics as a negotiation.
Record figure
For comparison, George W. Bush collected about $ 30 million in 2001 (today would be about 55 million), while Joe Biden collected 62 million in 2021 (equivalent to 76 million today), in an event reduced due to the pandemic. The sum accumulated by the two inaugurations of Trump thus amounts to 346 million dollars, more than collected by all the other presidents together since 1973, calculates the New York Times.
The figure far exceeds real logistical and organizational needs, e Many donations seem to have more a symbolic or strategic function What practice: some millionaire donors have not even obtained access to the main events, already full, notes Political.
According to FEC regulations, the inaugural committees must make known names and amounts of donors above 200 dollars, but they are not obliged to declare how funds are spent. So far, the Trump-Vance Committee has not published details on the matter. However, sources close to the presidential team claim that the surplus will be intended for the realization of the Trump presidential library and other initiatives connected to the former president.
The organization has issued about 6 million dollars in reimbursements, including a 50,000 dollar check of the Miss Universe Organization, once owned by Trump.
Criticisms about transparency
Organizations for transparency and « watchdog » of political funding have raised doubts about the influence that these donations could have on the decisions of the new administration. According to Public Citizen, « this type of contributions undermines public trust and strengthens the perception of privileged access for a few ».
With a return to the White House marked by sumptuous events and record funding, the Trump presidency is preparing to face not only political and institutional challenges, but also ethical questions on the increasingly labile border between public power and private interests. But this is the America by Trump.
