Google, Microsoft each donating $1M to Trumps inaugural fund

Google and Microsoft are each donating $1 million to President-elect Donald Trump’s inaugural fund – joining a slew of tech companies bankrolling the celebrations as they seek to garner support from the incoming administration.Google and Microsoft confirmed the donations with The Post.“Google is pleased to support the 2025 inauguration, with a livestream on YouTube and a direct link on our homepage.We’re also donating to the inaugural committee,” Karan Bhatia, Google’s global head of government affairs and public policy, told The Post.Google has donated to past inaugural funds, and its promotion of the inauguration’s livestream falls in line with past years — but its $1 million donation is more than triple the $285,000 given to Trump’s inaugural fund in 2017, according to Federal Election Commission filings reviewed by Newsweek.Microsoft has also contributed to past inaugural funds – giving $500,000 to both President Joe Biden’s inauguration in 2021 and Trump’s first in 2017. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman – who is currently embroiled in a legal battle with Tesla CEO Elon Musk, Trump’s close ally and major campaign donor – announced a $1 million donation to the inaugural fund late last year, as did Meta.

Amazon and Apple CEO Tim Cook have also reportedly contributed to the fund.Unlike a presidential campaign, there are no limits to how much an individual can give to an inaugural fund, which finances the opening ceremonies, galas and events.Major tech firms have been cozying up to the president-elect as his second term nears as they fear his past comments indicating he would not rule out antitrust enforcement. It’s of particular concern for Google, whose search engine was ruled an illegal monopoly in August 2024.A verdict for a second antitrust case against Google’s advertising business has not yet been announced.“Big Tech has run wild for years, stifling competition in our most innovative sector and, as we all know, using its market po...