The biggest contributor to President Trump’s inauguration was chicken processor Pilgrim’s Pride, which gave $5 million. In April, its Brazilian parent company, JBS, received government approval for a U.S. stock listing that it had long sought.
The second largest donor was the cryptocurrency company Ripple, which gave about $4.9 million. In May it reached a settlement with the Securities and Exchange Commission to resolve a long-running lawsuit, sending its coin soaring.
Trump’s record inaugural fundraising of nearly $250 million totaled almost as much money as the last four combined. That was built in part on big political spending by companies that had little track record of giving outsize sums, recently released campaign finance records show.
Some of those companies are benefiting from favorable government actions early in Trump’s second term.
Four of the top 10 donors, all of whom gave north of $1 million, were nominated to prominent posts in the administration. One, Elon Musk associate Jared Isaacman, had his nomination to be National Aeronautics and Space Administration administrator pulled Saturday, after Musk announced that he was leaving the White House. Oil companies, several of which gave $1 million or more, were able to avoid tariffs after meeting with Trump early in the administration.