US e-commerce giant Amazon is set to donate $1 million (€960,000) to President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration fund, a company spokesperson said late on Thursday.
Amazon will also broadcast Trump’s inauguration on its streaming platform Prime Video, which is also valued as a $1 million in-kind donation. The company had also streamed outgoing US President Joe Biden’s inauguration back in 2021.
Earlier on Thursday, tech giant Meta had also announced it donated $1 million to Trump’s fund.
On Thursday, Trump announced he would be meeting Amazon founder Jeff Bezos next week in an interview with CNBC.
Trump’s relations with big tech
Trump and Bezos have not always seen eye to eye.
During his first term, Trump often criticized the coverage of The Washington Post, owned by Bezos. However, in October Bezos said The Post would not endorse any candidate, effectively blocking its endorsement of Democratic candidate Kamala Harris, as per NPR.
This led to thousands of readers canceling their subscription and protest among journalists associated with the newspaper. Bezos said this was to boost credibility as most people believe the media to be biased.
Trump also met Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg a few weeks ago at his Mar-a-Lago mansion.
The two have also had a tense relationship, with Trump being removed from Facebook after the January 6, 2021 attacks on the US Capitol. The account was restored in 2023.
Zuckerberg has softened his stance on Trump and wants to improve his company’s reputation among the right wing. But Trump has been critical of him. “ZUCKERBUCKS, be careful!” Trump wrote on his Truth social platform.
Trump’s deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller said Zuckerberg is among other business leaders who want to support Trump’s economic plans.
Usually corporations support US Presidential inaugurations with donations. Only in 2009, former President Barack Obama refused to take corporate donations for his first term.
Google had donated $285,000 each to Trump and Biden’s inaugurations. Facebook had not donated for either, according to Federal Election Commission records.
tg/zc (AP, Reuters)
