This week president-elect Donald Trump held his first press conference since his victory, declaring “everybody wants to be my friend.” It appears so. Billionaire CEOs, the companies they helm, and more are donating to the former and future president’s inauguration.
It all started with Meta. The $1.6 trillion tech conglomerate donated $1 million to the inaugural fund, notwithstanding a prior threat made by Trump to jail its chief executive Mark Zuckerberg for life. Amazon plans to donate $1 million to the inaugural fund and it’ll stream the inauguration on its video platform, Prime. Founder Jeff Bezos is reportedly donating through Amazon, according to the Wall Street Journal , citing a person close to the billionaire, who owns the Washington Post . Bezos and Zuckerberg are the second-and third- richest people in the world, respectively. Meta and Amazon did not respond to Fortune’s request for comment.
Then there’s OpenAI chief executive Sam Altman who is in the middle of a legal battle with Trump’s new right-hand man: Elon Musk. Altman is planning to make a $1 million personal donation to the inaugural fund, an OpenAI spokesperson confirmed to Fortune. “President Trump will lead our country into the age of AI, and I am eager to support his efforts to ensure America stays ahead,” Altman said in a statement.
Perplexity, an artificial intelligence startup, also plans to donate $1 million for the inauguration, the company confirmed to Fortune . ( Fortune is a member of the Perplexity Publishers’ Program).
In a statement, Perplexity chief business officer Dmitry Shevelenko said the company looks forward to building a relationship with the incoming administration, and is committed to leveling the playing field, promoting free speech, and avoiding regulatory capture. “We appreciate President Trump’s commitment to efficiency with DOGE and his open-mindedness to how AI can help achieve these goals,” he said, referring to the initiative led by Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy. He continued: “Unlike other tech companies who have recently donated to President Trump’s inaugural fund, Perplexity didn't exist during his previous term, so this is an opportunity for us to collaborate on shared goals rather than mending a frayed relationship.”
Uber Technologies and chief executive Dara Khosrowshahi each donated $1 million for Trump’s inauguration, Reuters reported . The company did not immediately respond to Fortune’s request for comment.
The finance world isn’t to be outdone by its rivals in tech.
Citadel chief executive and founder Ken Griffin plans to donate $1 million to Trump’s inauguration; the company referred to comments Griffin made earlier to Bloomberg. “I’m sure you’ll see me listed again as a contributor to the inauguration,” Griffin said.
Then there’s Bank of America and Goldman Sachs . Each is planning to contribute to the inaugural committees, but haven’t disclosed amounts. Goldman Sachs did not respond to Fortune’s request for comment, but Bank of America confirmed earlier reporting by Reuters, and said it has donated to past inaugural committees.
Robinhood donated $2 million for the inauguration, Reuters reported . In a statement to Fortune , Robinhood vice president of global government and external affairs Mary Elizabeth Taylor said it is “pleased to welcome in a new era of American innovation and sensible regulation that promotes free markets, investor access, and consumer choice.”
Setting aside donations for Trump’s inauguration are other interesting post-election financial pitches.
SoftBank chief executive Masayoshi Son met with Trump at Mar-a-Lago and announced the company’s plan to invest at least $100 billion in U.S. projects over the next four years. Additionally, cryptocurrency entrepreneur Justin Sun announced a $30 million investment in World Liberty Financial, Trump’s crypto project, on behalf of his company, it appears. (The Securities and Exchange Commission sued Sun and his companies last year). And lastly, ABC News agreed to donate $15 million to Trump’s future presidential foundation and museum to settle a defamation lawsuit. The company agreed to pay an additional $1 million for Trump’s legal fees, too. None of the three parties above responded to requests for comment.
