Barack Obama published the names of those who funded his inaugural events. So did George W. Bush. So did Bill Clinton. So did … It doesn’t matter. Making public the names behind the event is just a tradition, not a law. So Donald “Why didn’t you make me” Trump isn’t going to do it.
Donald Trump is trying to keep the names of the people and companies donating millions of dollars to his inauguration festivities this week a secret — a break from his Republican and Democratic predecessors in the White House.
Despite providing talent that would be disappointing at a high school prom, Trump is pulling in record levels of funding.
Trump is expected to raise more than $90 million — a record amount — from people and corporations to pay for days of activities, including receptions, balls and the parade surrounding the 58th inauguration celebration. Taxpayers will spend millions more on the official swearing-in ceremony, security, construction and cleanup.
At current levels of interest, Trump could stick a million dollars on the bottom of every chair and make the few people who sit through his cold, gray, rainy inauguration feel like the day was possibly worth it.
But what mysterious groups are behind Trump’s big cash wad? The American Borscht Council? “Fat Tony” Salerno’s Cement? The Spray Tan Coalition?
At least a couple of names have leaked. Boeing, apparently scared out of their wits by Trump’s earlier tweets to do in a couple of their planes (or encouraged by his impossi-tweet idea of replacing the latest fighter with the 30-year-old F-18) has kicked in a million. Chevron is also at the top of the Trump contributions board, because … because. Some companies who had openly snubbed Trump’s Republican National Convention over the summer, including JP Morgan and Bank of America, are anxious to get back on the “good” side of his ledger by tossing cash at him.
But for now, most of the money behind the inauguration is invisible. However, we might be able to tell where all that money is going.
More than 1.9 million people attended President Obama’s inauguration in 2009. That’s the all-time record.
Just a reminder to Donald Trump: the Screen Actors Guild says non-union extras get $8 an hour. If you can hold it to under two hours, you could spend your donations on a sweet five million people who would act like they adore you! They would have to! Though extras do get a bump in pay for working in wet or difficult conditions. Hmm. It could be close.
Actually, it doesn’t matter. Trump can pocket the $90 million, stiff Toby Keith, and claim there were 8 million people there.
Or he can wait a day, and just photoshop in people from the Women’s March on Washington into his events. That’s looking to be quite a crowd.