Amazon joins Meta in donating $1 million to Trump's inauguration fund
FILE-Jeff Bezos, founder and executive chairman of Amazon and owner of the Washington Post, speaks during the New York Times annual DealBook summit at Jazz at Lincoln Center on December 04, 2024 in New York City. (Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty I
Amazon is planning to donate $1 million to President-elect Donald Trump's inauguration fund, after Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, made a $1 million contribution to his inauguration fund.
An Amazon spokesperson tells the Associated Press that the company will also stream Trump's inauguration on its Prime Video service, a separate donation worth another $1 million.
The Wall Street Journal first reported Meta’s donation and Amazon’s plans after Trump said Jeff Bezos, the company’s founder, was going to visit him in person next week, the AP noted.
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Trump and Bezos had their issues previously, when Trump, during his first term as president, criticized Amazon and complained about the political coverage at The Washington Post, which Bezos owns.
However, Bezos has changed his stance, saying recently that he was "optimistic" about Trump’s second stint in the White House.
The AP reported that Bezos did not allow the Washington Post to endorse a presidential candidate in October, a move that led to consumers canceling their subscriptions and to protests from journalists with a deep history at the newspaper.
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Meta’s inauguration donation comes after CEO Mark Zuckerberg met with Trump privately at Mar-a-Lago, a company spokesperson told the AP.
Trump was previously removed from the Facebook platform after the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, but Meta later restored his account in 2023.
Zuckerberg did not endorse a candidate during this year’s presidential campaign, but also displayed a positive stance toward Trump. However, Trump attacked Zuckerberg publicly on the campaign trail.
Have other companies donated to presidents’ inaugurations?
Amazon and Meta are not the only major companies who have made financial contributions to an incoming president’s inauguration.
Google contributed $285,000 each to Trump’s first inauguration and President Joe Biden’s inauguration, the AP reported, citing Federal Election Commissions records.
Microsoft contributed $1 million to President Barack Obama’s second inauguration, but only $500,000 to Trump in 2017 and Biden in 2021.
Amazon has also donated about $58,000 to Trump's 2017 inauguration and the tech giant also streamed Biden's inauguration on Prime Video in 2021.