Welcome to DU!
The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards.
Join the community:
Create a free account
Support DU (and get rid of ads!):
Become a Star Member
Latest Breaking News
Editorials & Other Articles
General Discussion
The DU Lounge
All Forums
Issue Forums
Culture Forums
Alliance Forums
Region Forums
Support Forums
Help & Search
Meet the top donors to Trump's $239 million inauguration fund
Meet the top donors to Trump’s $239 million inauguration fund
The list includes more than a dozen nominees to the administration, a poultry giant and embattled crypto companies
By Clara Ence Morse, Cat Zakrzewski, Aaron Schaffer, Luis Melgar and Nick Mourtoupalas
April 24, 2025 at 5:00 a.m. EDTToday at 5:00 a.m. EDT
President Donald Trump raised a record $239 million for his 2025 inauguration celebrations, propelled by contributions from corporations and ultra-wealthy individuals — including more than a dozen people Trump has nominated to a variety of roles in his administration.
{snip interactive chart}
Inaugural celebrations have become an opportunity for companies and wealthy individuals to support parties or presidents-elect and to seek to curry favor with incoming administrations. In the most recent inauguration, Trump hauled in more than double the record he set in 2017. ... Donors to his inaugural committee included picks for ambassadorships, members of Trump’s Cabinet and firms engaged in actions with federal agencies or those looking for favorable regulatory decisions, according to a Washington Post analysis of a filing the inaugural committee made to the Federal Election Commission on Sunday. Some companies have sought to influence the new administration’s policies on trade, taxes and government spending.
Tech and crypto companies also played a prominent role in Trump’s inauguration, contributing tens of millions of dollars to the committee after years of regulatory challenges during the Biden administration and Trump’s first term.
The committee’s FEC filing did not include spending details, but funds raised by an inaugural committee are traditionally used to pay for opening ceremonies, the parade, galas and balls. This year, the committee had to scale back many of the festivities because of freezing temperatures, moving the swearing-in indoors from outside of the Capitol and canceling the traditional parade. The committee has broad discretion over how it repurposes the leftover funds, which can be donated to a presidential library or events like the White House Easter Egg Roll.
{snip}
Clara Ence Morse
Clara Ence Morse is a political data reporter at The Washington Post. She joined The Post as the Investigative Reporting Workshop intern with the Data team, and previously served as the editor in chief of the Columbia Daily Spectator. She lives in Washington, D.C.@ccemorse
Cat Zakrzewski
Cat Zakrzewski is a White House reporter for The Washington Post. Send her secure tips on Signal at cqz.17. She previously covered tech policy and was the founding anchor of The Technology 202 newsletter. Before joining The Post in 2018, she was a venture capital reporter for the Wall Street Journal. @Cat_Zakrzewski
Aaron Schaffer
Aaron Schaffer is a researcher on The Post's News Research team.@aaronjschaffer
Luis Melgar
Luis Melgar is a graphics reporter at The Washington Post. Before joining The Post in 2022, he was a graphics developer at the Urban Institute.
Nick Mourtoupalas
Nick Mourtoupalas is a graphics reporter focusing on politics at The Washington Post. He previously worked at The Kiplinger Letter covering economics.
The list includes more than a dozen nominees to the administration, a poultry giant and embattled crypto companies
By Clara Ence Morse, Cat Zakrzewski, Aaron Schaffer, Luis Melgar and Nick Mourtoupalas
April 24, 2025 at 5:00 a.m. EDTToday at 5:00 a.m. EDT
President Donald Trump raised a record $239 million for his 2025 inauguration celebrations, propelled by contributions from corporations and ultra-wealthy individuals — including more than a dozen people Trump has nominated to a variety of roles in his administration.
{snip interactive chart}
Inaugural celebrations have become an opportunity for companies and wealthy individuals to support parties or presidents-elect and to seek to curry favor with incoming administrations. In the most recent inauguration, Trump hauled in more than double the record he set in 2017. ... Donors to his inaugural committee included picks for ambassadorships, members of Trump’s Cabinet and firms engaged in actions with federal agencies or those looking for favorable regulatory decisions, according to a Washington Post analysis of a filing the inaugural committee made to the Federal Election Commission on Sunday. Some companies have sought to influence the new administration’s policies on trade, taxes and government spending.
Tech and crypto companies also played a prominent role in Trump’s inauguration, contributing tens of millions of dollars to the committee after years of regulatory challenges during the Biden administration and Trump’s first term.
The committee’s FEC filing did not include spending details, but funds raised by an inaugural committee are traditionally used to pay for opening ceremonies, the parade, galas and balls. This year, the committee had to scale back many of the festivities because of freezing temperatures, moving the swearing-in indoors from outside of the Capitol and canceling the traditional parade. The committee has broad discretion over how it repurposes the leftover funds, which can be donated to a presidential library or events like the White House Easter Egg Roll.
{snip}
Clara Ence Morse
Clara Ence Morse is a political data reporter at The Washington Post. She joined The Post as the Investigative Reporting Workshop intern with the Data team, and previously served as the editor in chief of the Columbia Daily Spectator. She lives in Washington, D.C.@ccemorse
Cat Zakrzewski
Cat Zakrzewski is a White House reporter for The Washington Post. Send her secure tips on Signal at cqz.17. She previously covered tech policy and was the founding anchor of The Technology 202 newsletter. Before joining The Post in 2018, she was a venture capital reporter for the Wall Street Journal. @Cat_Zakrzewski
Aaron Schaffer
Aaron Schaffer is a researcher on The Post's News Research team.@aaronjschaffer
Luis Melgar
Luis Melgar is a graphics reporter at The Washington Post. Before joining The Post in 2022, he was a graphics developer at the Urban Institute.
Nick Mourtoupalas
Nick Mourtoupalas is a graphics reporter focusing on politics at The Washington Post. He previously worked at The Kiplinger Letter covering economics.