Apple CEO Tim Cook has joined other tech industry leaders in making a $1 million personal donation to Donald Trump's inauguration fund, according to recent reports.
The donation follows similar million-dollar contributions from tech giants including Meta, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, and Amazon. Unlike Meta's corporate donation, Cook's contribution comes from his personal funds.
Cook's relationship with Trump has been notably warmer than that of other tech executives. The Apple CEO has maintained ongoing communications with Trump over the years, including recent meetings at Mar-a-Lago.
The tech sector's financial support of Trump's inauguration appears particularly strong this cycle, though such donations are common practice. Other major contributors include Goldman Sachs, Bank of America, AT&T, and cryptocurrency companies Kraken and Coinbase.
Presidential inauguration donations typically fund celebration events following the official swearing-in ceremony, which is covered by public funds. Trump's previous inauguration in 2016 set records by raising $107 million, far exceeding Obama's 2013 and 2009 inaugurations which raised $43 million and $55 million respectively.
Major corporate donors to Trump's 2016 inauguration included defense contractors Lockheed Martin and Boeing, financial institutions Bank of America and JPMorgan Chase, along with Dow Chemical, Pfizer, Microsoft, and Google. AT&T led corporate giving with a $2 million contribution.
The pattern of corporate and executive donations to presidential inaugurations is widely seen as an effort to establish favorable relationships with incoming administrations.