Tech giant Google is the latest company to donate $1 million to President-elect Donald Trump’s inaugural fund, following in the footsteps of other major corporations such as Amazon, Meta, Uber and OpenAI.
The company donated to Trump’s inaugural fund on Monday, according to CNBC.
“Google is pleased to support the 2025 inauguration, with a livestream on YouTube and a direct link on our homepage. We’re also donating to the inaugural committee,” said Karan Bhatia, Google’s head of public policy and government affairs.
The Independent has asked Google for comment about the donation.
It is not uncommon for major corporations to donate to a president’s inaugural fund as a sign that they will work with the incoming administration and president, regardless of political affiliation. Google and Amazon donated to President Joe Biden’s inaugural fund. Other major corporations such as Boeing, Ford Motor Company, Bank of America and Coca-Cola did as well.
Inaugural committees are formed to finance celebrations for the incoming president’s swearing-in ceremony. Unlike Super PACs, inaugural committees may accept unlimited contributions from individuals and corporations – but not from foreign nationals.
Trump’s inaugural fund has raised more than $170 million, people familiar with the matter told the New York Times last week.
The string of donations from major corporations is part of an unspoken tradition, but undoubtedly the companies are trying to get in the incoming president’s good graces as the country prepares for another Trump administration.
Trump’s first term was fraught and chaotic. He butted heads with CEOs like Jeff Bezos, Amazon’s founder and Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook’s co-founder and CEO of Meta.
But now, with a second chance to change their relationships, CEOs and tech giants are trying a new technique, especially since Republicans have signaled they will target tech companies’ policies.
