US business leaders set to break record on donations to Trump inaugural fund
US business leaders are spending big on Donald Trump’s second inaugural fund, which is predicted to exceed even the record-setting $107m raised in 2017.The donations, which are not restricted by campaign finance laws, come as industries and business leaders seek to curry favor with the incoming administration after the president-elect decisively won a second, non-consecutive term in November.Some of the planned donations reportedly include $1m each from Jeff Bezos’s Amazon, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and Facebook parent company Meta, led by Mark Zuckerberg.Hedge-fund manager Ken Griffin has said he plans to donate $1m, Bloomberg reported; Uber and its CEO Dara Khosrowshahi are reported to be chipping in $1m each; and Toyota, Ford and General Motors are each peeling off $1m.Ford is also reportedly coupling its donation with a fleet of vehicles.
“EVERYBODY WANTS TO BE MY FRIEND!!!” Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social on Thursday.Many senior executives in US industries and finance have already made the trip to Mar-a-Lago, Trump’s transition team headquarters, or are planning to, according to reports, as they seek to gain influence and access to the incoming administration that’s threatening to shake up international trading norms.Brendan Glavin, director of research for the money-in-politics nonprofit OpenSecrets, told CNBC last week that Trump’s inaugural committee presents a “great opportunity for them to curry favor with the incoming administration”.Glavin pointed out that courting Trump is as much a defensive as a charm-offensive posture.“None of these people, they don’t want to be Trump’s punching bag for four years,” he told the outlet.
ABC News reported that Trump’s second-inauguration haul is on track to shatter the previous $107m record, as pledged contributions have already exceeded a $150m fundraising goal.Barack Obama’s inauguration raised $53m in 2009 and $42m in 2013, and Joe Biden’s raised $63m in 2021.“One of the oldest adages in Washington is that if you’re not at the table, you’re on the menu, and the price of admission to have a seat at the table keeps going up,” Michael Beckel, director of the political reform advocacy group Issue One, told the outlet.The Wall Street Journal on Tuesday identified 11 companies and trade associations that are supporting Trump’s second inauguration despite having pledged to suspend or reconsider political-action committee donations after the 6 January 2021 riot at the US Capitol.The Journal noted that Ford, Intuit, Toyota and the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America are among the companies that made January 6-related pledges but are now supporting the Trump committee.
A Phrma spokesperson told the outlet that the company had “announced a pause on our giving at the time and then subsequently added new criteria to guide our contributions”,The Journal reported that companies have been advised by political strategists to cleanse their websites and corporate policies of language that favors Democrats,That includes a letter from former Stanley Black & Decker CEO Jim Loree condemning the Capitol attack and vowing that the company would “advocate for our democracy and a peaceful transition of power”,The company is donating $1m to the inaugural fund, a significant increase on the $25,000 it gave to Trump in 2017,Trump aides have indicated that the fundraising isn’t about the money but a symbolic means to exact an apology for any previous perceived lapse of loyalty.
According to the Journal, donors who give $1m or raise $2m will receive six tickets to a series of pre-inauguration events, including a reception with cabinet picks, a “candlelight dinner” with Trump and Melania Trump and a black-tie ball.This article was amended on 26 December 2024.An earlier version mistakenly referred to the “2001”, rather than 2021, riot at the US Capitol.
Teen tearaway Sam Konstas rewrites red-ball recipe in fearless Boxing Day debut | Jack Snape
The first attempt by Sam Konstas at a ramp shot did not go well. In the windy heat of the MCG on Boxing Day, a swing and a miss was met with a wry grin from Jasprit Bumrah. At the non-striker’s end, Usman Khawaja – 38 a week ago – cracked a smile.When Konstas failed to connect on a second try minutes later, the writing was on the wall. In a critical moment of a Test series that will define this generation of Australian players, selectors had taken a risk
Skelton’s Grey Dawning has talent to light up Kempton in wide-open race
There have been many renewals of the King George VI Chase in recent years which revolved around a clear market leader but there is no obvious starting point for weighing up this year’s race at Kempton on Thursday, as nine of the 11 runners already have at least one Grade One victory over fences to their name and at least four – Spillane’s Tower, Banbridge, Grey Dawning and Il Est Francais – could conceivably set off as favourite.There are also slight question marks over all four of the principals in the betting. Banbridge is unproven at the three-mile trip, Il Est Francais ran poorly after bursting a blood vessel last time out, Spillane’s Tower has shown his best form with more cut in the ground and Grey Dawning had a tough race in the Betfair Chase in November.Every punter will have their own idea about how best to weigh it all in the balance, and Bravemansgame, the winner in 2022 and second behind Hewick last year, is an interesting each-way alternative at double-figure odds as he returns to a track and trip which clearly suits him so well.For a win bet, however, the most appealing option is the progressive Grey Dawning (2
Paris was the Dude: 2024 Olympics were right Games at perfect time
Four months after Paris 2024’s spectacular finale, starring Tom Cruise abseiling off the top of the Stade de France and hurtling out of a plane above Los Angeles, the executive director of the Olympics is mulling over the lasting impact of the Games. Albeit with the help of a rather different cinematic icon.“I was making a presentation to Deloitte executives recently,” says Christophe Dubi, the man responsible for planning and delivering the Olympics. “And I started by paraphrasing the Stranger in The Big Lebowski: ‘Sometimes, there is a man, he’s the man for his time and place, he was The Dude.’ Because Paris really was the right Games, at the right time and place
India to play Champions Trophy games in Dubai after refusal to visit Pakistan
India’s matches at the 2025 Champions Trophy will be held in Dubai, the International Cricket Council confirmed on Tuesday.Pakistan, the tournament hosts, selected the United Arab Emirates as a neutral venue for India’s fixtures with the team not able to play matches in Pakistan because of political tensions.The hosts’ Group A game against India will now be played in Dubai, along with India’s games against Bangladesh and New Zealand. The decision also means that the venue for the final on 9 March will change from Lahore to Dubai if India qualify.Last month the Board of Control for Cricket in India, citing government advice, told the ICC it would not send a team to the tournament, which begins in February
Grey Dawning bids to follow in Desert Orchid tradition for King George glory
A bold-jumping grey in the King George at Kempton: for a dozen years from the mid‑1980s, it was a Boxing Day tradition as Desert Orchid, One Man and Teeton Mill racked up seven wins from nine appearances between them. And as Robert Kirkland, a racehorse owner for nearly 40 years, still recalls, there might have been another.“The first horse I ever had a share in was called High Edge Grey,” Kirkland said this week. “He won the Charlie Hall at Wetherby in 1988 and the plan was to go to Kempton, but then he hurt his back in the Hennessy at Newbury. In those days, you didn’t have chiropractors for horses, and he missed it
The Breakdown awards: best rugby matches, players and quotes of 2024
The best and worst of the last 12 months and hopes for 2025 in our review of the year in rugby union1 Antoine Dupont (France, Toulouse, France sevens)2 Eben Etzebeth (South Africa)3 Pieter-Steph du Toit (SA), Ox Nché (SA), Wallace Sititi (New Zealand), Ellie Kildunne (England)1 Rassie Erasmus (South Africa)2 Joe Schmidt (Australia)3 Franco Smith (Glasgow Warriors)1 England 37-42 Australia – Twickenham (sorry, Allianz Stadium)2 Bordeaux 41-42 Harlequins – Stade Chaban-Delmas3 Leinster 22-31 Toulouse – Tottenham Hotspur Stadium; Bath 26-36 Bristol – Recreation Ground1 Toulouse2 Bristol3 England women1 Ilona Maher (US)2 Antoine Dupont3 Jack Willis (Toulouse)1 Rugby Football Union2 Stuart Hogg3 Exeter ChiefsThe eight-year-old Stevie Mulrooney stole the show before Ireland’s 36-0 win over Italy in February with a splendid rendition of Ireland’s Call.Rugby Journal.Ronan O’Gara (Irish Examiner).Tom Willis (Saracens), Cameron Hanekom (Bulls), Guy Pepper (Bath), Henry Pollock (Northampton), Afolabi Fasogbon (Gloucester), Asher Opoku-Fordjour (Sale Sharks).Sam Prendergast (Ireland), Tom Jordan (Scotland), Tom Rogers (Wales), Theo Dan (England)
ChatGPT search tool vulnerable to manipulation and deception, tests show
Musk’s conflicts of interest as Trump adviser could benefit him, experts warn
How far do Elon Musk and Reform UK share a political vision?
‘We’re figuring out cool ways of storytelling’: how TikTok is changing the way we watch musicals
The god illusion: why the pope is so popular as a deepfake image
Can I survive for 24 hours without GPS navigation?