Google has joined the ranks of major tech companies supporting President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration, donating $1 million to the inaugural fund.
CNBC reports that Google has become the latest tech giant to contribute to President-elect Donald Trump’s 2025 inauguration fund, following in the footsteps of OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, Meta, Amazon, and Apple CEO Tim Cook. The company announced on Monday that it would be donating $1 million to support the inaugural events, which include opening ceremonies, galas, and the traditional parade.
Karan Bhatia, Google’s global head of government affairs and public policy, stated, “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.” The tech giant’s decision to support the inauguration is not unprecedented, as the company has made similar contributions in the past and will be providing a YouTube livestream and homepage link, much like previous inaugurations.
Unlike direct contributions to a candidate’s campaign, there are no limits on the amount an individual, corporation, or labor group can donate to an inaugural committee. This allows companies like Google to show their support for the incoming administration and potentially gain favor with the new president.
However, Trump’s relationship with major tech companies has been tumultuous over the years, and he has not shied away from criticizing the sector following the election. In particular, he has signaled that he would not rule out antitrust enforcement, which is a sensitive issue for Google. The company has faced legal challenges, with a federal U.S. judge ruling in August that it has illegally held a monopoly in search and text advertising. A second antitrust case about Google’s advertising business concluded in November, though a verdict has not yet been announced.
In a December 4 post on Truth Social, Trump wrote, “Big Tech has run wild for years, stifling competition in our most innovative sector and, as we all know, using its market power to crack down on the rights of so many Americans, as well as those of Little Tech!”
Despite the rocky relationship, Google CEO Sundar Pichai and former Alphabet President Sergey Brin met with Trump after the election, and Pichai publicly congratulated the president-elect on his “decisive victory” in a post on X (formerly Twitter).
Congratulations to President @realDonaldTrump on his decisive victory. We are in a golden age of American innovation and are committed to working with his administration to help bring the benefits to everyone. pic.twitter.com/IPX7AJ8VvI
— Sundar Pichai (@sundarpichai) November 6, 2024
Read more at CNBC here.
Lucas Nolan is a reporter for Breitbart News covering issues of free speech and online censorship.
