this post was submitted on 25 Dec 2024
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US business leaders are spending big on Donald Trump’s second inaugural fund, which is predicted to exceed even the record-setting $107m raised in 2017.

The donations, which are not restricted by campaign finance laws, come as industries and business leaders seek to curry favor with the incoming administration after the president-elect decisively won a second, non-consecutive term in November.

Some of the planned donations reportedly include $1m each from Jeff Bezos’s Amazon, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and Facebook parent company Meta, led by Mark Zuckerberg.

Hedge-fund manager Ken Griffin has said he plans to donate $1m, Bloomberg reported; Uber and its CEO Dara Khosrowshahi are reported to be chipping in $1m each; and Toyota, Ford and General Motors are each peeling off $1m. Ford is also reportedly coupling its donation with a fleet of vehicles.

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[–] [email protected] 12 points 16 hours ago* (last edited 16 hours ago)

All these rich guys are donating the same amount? Yeah, that doesn’t feel like a donation but more like a purchase/fee/protection money.

[–] [email protected] 19 points 1 day ago

To be fair, they didn't start the tradition of having ridiculous expensive coronation ceremonies paid with legalized bribes every four years. And even that is just a symptom of the monarchical nature of the US presidency.

[–] [email protected] 66 points 1 day ago

Nothing will meaningfully improve until the rich fear for their lives

[–] [email protected] 31 points 1 day ago

I guess this is how we make a list.

[–] [email protected] 98 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Yup, look at them, people. Look at the big-named people all lining up to kiss the biggest corrupted ass that this country has ever seen. It's like they're paying a million just to suck Trump's flaccid old cock. Look at them!

[–] [email protected] 45 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Don't just look at them - take notes. These are names we will want to remember later.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 19 hours ago

It's going to be a long line.

[–] [email protected] 64 points 1 day ago (2 children)
[–] [email protected] 3 points 15 hours ago

True American hero!!!

[–] [email protected] 80 points 1 day ago (1 children)

“EVERYBODY WANTS TO BE MY FRIEND!!!” Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social on Thursday.

lmfao

What a fucking idjit.

[–] [email protected] 17 points 1 day ago

He is. He is also the one getting paid, so he's not alone.

[–] [email protected] 29 points 1 day ago (2 children)

Why is it trump’s fund? I thought musk was the president

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 day ago

He's acting president.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 day ago

It must be like the charity bowl they put out at events. Musk doesn't need the money but Trump is desperate for it.

[–] [email protected] 35 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Overthrowing a democracy is expensive

[–] [email protected] 15 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Pretty cheap if you're a billionaire

[–] [email protected] 8 points 1 day ago

That's because they socialize the cost.

[–] [email protected] 45 points 1 day ago (1 children)
[–] [email protected] 23 points 1 day ago (1 children)

This is way less than 10%. He's a bargain.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 1 day ago (1 children)

The percentage isn't the point. The amount is. It's telling the world who is under his thumb.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 day ago

Did you ... Did you donate $420,000.69 to my inauguration fund?

[–] [email protected] 18 points 1 day ago

RIP US democracy.

[–] [email protected] 24 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Anyone got a full list? Asking for a friend...

[–] [email protected] 1 points 29 minutes ago* (last edited 27 minutes ago)

Jeff Bezos (Amazon), Sam Altman (OpenAi), Mark Zuckerberg (Meta), Dara Khosrowshahi (Uber), Jim Loree (Black and Decker), Toyota, Ford, General Motors, Intuit, Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America and many other undisclosed in the article.

The part particularly concerning to me is

Trump aides have indicated that the fundraising isn’t about the money but a symbolic means to exact an apology for any previous perceived lapse of loyalty.

a very fascist wording. You don't have to be "loyal" to the President, unless he's a dictator.

[–] [email protected] 11 points 1 day ago

Dumb Donnie will keep most of the money and everyone will get 1 cocktail weenie as a snack. Fleecing the idiots is his job.

[–] [email protected] 12 points 1 day ago
[–] [email protected] 21 points 1 day ago (2 children)

Will they be paying people to fill the mall during the inauguration this time?

[–] [email protected] 10 points 1 day ago (1 children)

No need to pay when you can force them at gunpoint.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 day ago

It's the only way they'll get anyone to show up. And with how fragile his ego is, this is likely high on his list.

It'll be hilarious if the crowd is even smaller than last time.

[–] [email protected] 17 points 1 day ago

One more reason to hate these guys.

[–] [email protected] 11 points 1 day ago (1 children)
[–] [email protected] 0 points 1 day ago (2 children)

They donate to every inauguration. Apparently that's traditional. Expecting billionaires to show spine here is to expect them to go against their financial interests. They wouldn't be billionaires of they were willing to do that.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Yes. But your statement seeks to normalize trump as any other president. He is not.

The point isn't that they've given before, it's that they are giving to him, now, with all of his clearly stated intent to harm people and American democracy.

Meta is least surprising, they hired one of the actual authors of Project 2025 and he still works there today AFAIK.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 16 hours ago* (last edited 16 hours ago)

I think it's useful for people to consider that he's not that out of the ordinary. Instead he's just blatantly transparent, whereas others have been more covert. E.g. Reagan did receive a handbook from the Heritage Foundation. He implemented 60% of it within a year. That's the same Heritage Foundation that produced Project 2025. I think understanding that could help people look for solutions that stop perpetuating the ordinary that's gotten us to where we are today. And yes, of course there are differences between any two candidates or presidents, some significant in the way they affect the majority. Placed on a timeline however, they seem more like slight changes on the trend line towards a strong oligarchy.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 day ago

Indeed, here are some of the donors for the Obama inauguration: https://www.opensecrets.org/obama/inaug.php