Trump's inaugural committee reports a record $245.3 million
Trump's 2025 inaugural committee disclosed $245,272,420.15 in donations — more than double the previous record — from corporations and wealthy individuals, several of whom were appointed to administration posts within months.
What happened
The committee's Form 13, filed with the Federal Election Commission on April 20, 2025 — the ninety-day deadline for disclosing donations of $200 or more — reports total receipts of $245,272,420.15. Inaugural committees may not take foreign money, but no limit applies to the size of a donation. The largest single gift was $5 million from the Colorado poultry company Pilgrim's Pride; the crypto firm Ripple Labs gave $4,889,345.33 and the trading app Robinhood $2 million. Amazon, Meta, Nvidia, Hyundai Motor America and Target each gave $1 million; Microsoft gave $750,000 across two payments. Apple made no corporate donation — its chief executive, Timothy D. Cook, gave $1 million personally, listed in the filing at a residential address. Three of the largest individual donors were appointed: Warren A. Stephens gave $4 million and became ambassador to the United Kingdom, Jared Isaacman gave $2 million and was nominated to lead NASA, and Melissa Argyros gave $2 million and was named envoy to Latvia. United States Steel, awaiting a decision on Nippon Steel's bid for it, gave $106,252.18. The committee has amended the report five times since; the latest, of August 7, 2025, reports $247,702,249.10. This is money paid to the inaugural committee, not personal income to Trump.
Why it matters
Corporations and executives gave $245 million to stage an inauguration with three official balls, with no cap on a cheque and no requirement to disclose how the money was spent. Three of the largest donors took administration posts within months — the London embassy, the NASA nomination, the embassy in Latvia. Others had matters pending: Nvidia under export restrictions to China, United States Steel awaiting a ruling on its sale to a Japanese buyer, crypto firms seeking relief from Biden-era rules. The committee did not answer CNN's questions about its spending or its leftover money. The first-term inaugural committee settled a District of Columbia lawsuit for $750,000 over overpaying Trump's own hotel.
Sources
Federal Election Commission, Form 13 Schedule 13-A, Trump Vance Inaugural Committee, filed 2025-04-20, cnn.com, api.open.fec.gov