Amazon contributes $1 million to Trump’s inauguration fund, Jeff Bezos intends to visit
Amazon.com Inc. is poised to contribute $1 million to the inaugural fund of US President-elect Donald Trump, a spokesperson for the company stated in an announcement. This action positions Amazon among a collection of technology firms aiming to assist in the forthcoming celebrations with the intention of fostering amicable connections with the Trump administration.
Meta Platforms Inc. similarly made a $1 million contribution.
Amazon's founder Jeff Bezos is anticipated to meet with Trump the following week, the president-elect reported on Thursday, highlighting his close connections with tech leaders.
“Bezos is visiting next week,” Trump informed CNBC during an interview after participating in the opening bell ceremony at the New York Stock Exchange.
The representative from Amazon also mentioned on Thursday that, in addition to this cash donation, Amazon intends to livestream the inauguration, thereby constituting an in-kind contribution valued at $1 million. The Wall Street Journal had previously disclosed these donations, stating that they are drawn from the company's finances and are not a result of Bezos' personal funding, as indicated by the organization.
Trump remarked that he had also met with Mark Zuckerberg, the founder of Facebook, along with Elon Musk, the founder of Tesla and SpaceX.
“I want to gather insights from them,” Trump stated regarding the business figures. “Look, we want them to prosper.”
Bezos possesses a diverse assortment of business interests that intersect with the federal government. His aerospace company, Blue Origin, holds contracts with NASA. At the same time, Amazon serves as a major contractor for defense, intelligence, and other federal agencies, largely due to its cloud computing division. Throughout Trump’s previous presidency, the Republican leader had criticized Bezos due to the media coverage of his administration by the Washington Post, which Bezos owns. Subsequently, this media outlet decided to refrain from endorsing a candidate for the 2024 presidential election.
During The New York Times’ DealBook summit earlier this month, Bezos voiced his optimism for Trump’s potential second term.
“I am incredibly optimistic this time around, I have high hopes, he appears to possess substantial energy focused on reducing regulation, and if I can assist him in achieving that, I will,” Bezos had commented.
Musk, who is a notable contractor for the federal government, has also frequently been Trump’s guest since the election in November. He was additionally invited to contribute to an initiative aimed at cutting federal expenditures, known as the Department of Government Efficiency.
