Donald & His Donors

Ryan Heshmati

December 13, 2024

Undoubtedly, Donald Trump has pulled off the greatest political comeback in the history of the United States. From being a convicted felon with one court date after another ahead of him to president-elect of the most powerful country on the planet, 2024 has been a turnaround year for the former president. With the inauguration just over a month away, Trump is receiving attention from some unlikely power players in the American economy.

Dana Mattioli of the Wall Street Journal reports that Amazon is expected to donate $1 million to Trump’s inaugural fund. Further, Jeff Bezos is expected to meet with the president-elect in Mara-Lago in the coming week. Earlier in the week, the Wall Street Journal also reported that Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta donated $1 million to the fund, too. Silicon Valley is an unlikely source of Trump’s support, considering its reputation as a beacon of progressive values, although this election may have been a major turning point with Elon Musk’s outspoken support for Trump. Either way, it looks as though the likes of Mark Zuckerberg and Jeff Bezos intend to, at a minimum, have cordial relations with the incoming presidential administration.

Regardless of one’s politics, blaming these business leaders and corporations for cozying up to the president-elect is difficult. Though it is ironic to have figures like Zuckerberg, whom Trump has previously attacked openly, directing donations in support of the incoming administration, with an administration as unpredictable as Trump’s could be, trying to be in the president’s good graces is justifiably a priority. Although President-elect Trump is still over a month away from the presidency, he increasingly enjoys the spotlight. Take the Notre Dame Cathedral’s recent reopening. President Biden did not attend, but President Trump did, with a photo holding French President Emmanuel Macron’s hand circulating publicly. While the business world makes up Trump’s latest financial donors, Macron joined the list of media-spotlight donors to Trump by inviting him to the event.

The world has certainly noticed that 2025 will start with a new presidential administration in the White House. The contributions from Amazon and Meta represent Trump’s newfound power. Even an agreement by Bezos or Zuckerberg to meet with Trump would be considered a major story just a couple of years ago, but now it is viewed as almost a responsibility of these tech leaders to maintain relationships with Trump. Of course, when foreign political leaders invite Trump to major events like Macron recently did, they essentially act as donors, too, just of the spotlight instead of inaugural funds. Ultimately, the big takeaway is that the second Trump administration has already hit the gas before turning on the ignition. Whether these financial donations make a difference in Trump’s attitude toward Meta and Amazon remains unclear, but it is almost a certainty that he doesn’t dislike the attention.