Microsoft and Google each donate $1 Million to Trump’s inauguration fund
Last week, Microsoft confirmed it would contribute $1 million to President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration fund, joining the list of high-profile companies and individuals pledging significant financial support. The announcement follows Google’s earlier confirmation of a similar donation, alongside plans to livestream the event for free on YouTube.
“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 global head of government affairs and public policy.
The respective CEOs of OpenAI, Apple, and Amazon have also pledged the same amount individually. These donations will finance events such as the opening ceremonies, galas, and the inaugural parade, all overseen by the president-elect’s inaugural committee. Unlike campaign contributions, there are no legal limits on how much an individual or organization can give to an inaugural committee.
This isn’t the first time Big Tech companies have supported presidential inaugurations. Still, many will see it as an attempt to improve relations with the incoming administration, especially given Trump’s history of contentious statements about tech giants.
The incoming president has been very vocal about his misgivings about tech giants, especially Meta. Last year, he also alluded that he wouldn’t rule out antitrust enforcement, which is a particularly sore spot for Google.
“Big Tech has run wild for years, stifling competition in our most innovative sector and, as we all know, using its market power to crack down on the rights of so many Americans, as well as those of Little Tech!” Trump wrote in a Dec. 4 post on Truth Social.
However, his stance seems to be softening with the president-elect even commending Meta's recent move to change its approach to content moderation across its platforms. The company eliminated its third-party fact-checking program in favor of a “Community Notes” model, much like the one that exists on Elon Musk’s X.
When asked if Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s actions were a response to past criticisms, Trump said, “Probably.”
