With the inauguration of Donald Trump on 20 January, there is a remarkable activity in the technology world: Apple, Google, Meta and many other giant companies made large donations for Trump’s presidential inauguration. So, what strategic calculations lie behind these donations? Here are the details!
Million dollar donations from companies
Donations to Trump’s presidential fund give clues about the future business strategies of technology giants. While Apple donated $43,200 to President Biden’s inauguration ceremony, it raised this figure to $1 million for Trump. It is also known that CEO Tim Cook held one-on-one meetings with Trump on the difficulties faced by Apple in the European Union. Similarly, Amazon donated $ 276 thousand to Biden’s fund, while it contributed $ 1 million for Trump.
Other companies that donated include Microsoft, Google and OpenAI. It is noteworthy that Meta has not donated anything to Biden’s presidential fund, while it is known to have provided support for Trump’s inauguration. It is interpreted that Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg aims to establish better relations with the Trump administration by removing Facebook’s controversial fact-checking programme.
OnePlus, which is preparing to leave its mark on the foldable phone market, may go down in history with its Open 2 model.
One of the main motivations behind this move by companies is the tariffs that Trump has brought back to the agenda. These tariffs have the potential to complicate the position of technology giants in international trade. According to Bloomberg Apple analyst Mark Gurman, Apple CEO Tim Cook will try to exempt his company from these tariffs, as he did during Trump’s first term.
Do you think these donations are a long-term advantage for giant companies or an unnecessary risk? Don’t forget to share your views in the comments!
