Trump Inauguration - the most expensive presidential ceremony in the US

Ahead of Donald Trump's inauguration on January 20, donors rushed to contribute to events organized for the president-elect, including the official swearing-in ceremony.

According to an analysis by Felix Richter of Statista, based on information published by the New York Times, Trump's inaugural committee raised more than $170 million, far surpassing the previous record set at Trump's first inauguration eight years ago of $107 million. By comparison, Statista shows that at the inauguration of Joe Biden (in early 2021) companies contributed $62 million, while for the inauguration ceremonies for Barack Obama's two terms, $53 million (in 2009) and $43 million (in 2013) were raised.

In stark contrast to 2017, when Trump was greeted with skepticism, large American corporations seem to be adopting a more cooperative attitude towards the president-elect ahead of his second term.

Technology giants such as Amazon, Meta, Google and Microsoft, along with numerous other companies, as well as the CEOs of Apple and OpenAI, have made substantial donations to the inauguration fund. These contributions appear to be an attempt to curry favor with the president, or at least to avoid falling into the disgrace of a person known for holding grudges and not hesitating to favor his allies. In addition to tech companies, according to the cited source, automotive giants - Ford, General Motors, Toyota, Hyundai and Stellantis - as well as those from the aeronautics and defense industries - Boeing and Lockheed Martin - also contributed financially to support the inauguration ceremony.

This impressive level of financial support shows a significant change in the landscape of relations between the corporate environment and the Trump administration.

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