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Tech Leaders Backing Donald Trump Presidency: Full List of Key Supporters

Published
Kurt Robson
Published
By Kurt Robson
Edited by Samantha Dunn
Key Takeaways
  • An increasing number of tech leaders have endorsed President-elect Donald Trump ahead of his inauguration on Jan. 20.
  • The inauguration has already raised a record $170 million.
  • Trump has promised to support Big Tech’s interests by removing certain guardrails.

In the lead-up to Donald Trump’s 2024 landslide victory and inauguration, several prominent tech leaders have joined in extending their support to the President-elect.

This support has led Trump’s Jan. 20 inaugural committee to raise over $170 million, breaking the previous fundraising record  of $107 million set by the President-elect in 2017.

Why Tech Leaders Back Donald Trump

Throughout the Biden administration, several tech giants, including Meta, Google and Amazon, have faced heightened scrutiny from antitrust regulators over monopolistic practices and content moderation policies.

At the same time, AI companies, such as Nvidia and OpenAI, have faced challenges from stringent export controls and regulations around AI safety.

Trump has promised to remove many of these guardrails directly impeding Big Tech’s interests. Now, tech leaders are looking to work closer with the President-elect.

Here is a complete list of the tech leaders who have shared support for Donald Trump ahead of his Presidency.

Elon Musk (Tesla, SpaceX, X)

Elon Musk has undoubtedly been President-elect Trump’s biggest ally in Big Tech so far.

Over the past two years, the two billionaires have gone from trading public jabs to effectively agreeing to work together on America’s future.

Musk heavily bankrolled the President-elect’s campaign. In July 2024, Musk co-founded  “America PAC,” a political action committee supporting Trump’s campaign.

According to The Washington Post, the Tesla boss pledged to contribute  $45 million monthly, totaling approximately $180 million by November 2024.

However, Musk later denied this,  stating his monthly contributions were lower than those reported in the publication.

For the first three months following the PAC’s inception, Musk donated around $75 million to the pro-Trump group.

On the night of his victory, Musk, who had been present for the election results alongside Trump, shared his congratulations with the 47th President of the U.S.

 

Now, Musk is set to gain a seat at the table of the White House with the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).

Mark Zuckerberg (Meta)

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has also made moves to support President-elect Trump’s administration, following his landslide 2024 election victory.

In December 2024, Meta donated $1 million to Trump’s inaugural fund, marking a significant shift in the company’s political engagement.

The contribution was accompanied by a pair of Meta smart glasses,  demonstrating a direct outreach of technology to the incoming president.

Zuckerberg, who previously dined with Trump at the Mar-a-Lago resort, recently announced a U-turn on Meta’s stringent censorship policies, a clear effort to align with the Trump administration’s priorities.

The new “Community Notes” feature, similar to the system used by Elon Musk’s platform,  will replace the tech giant’s third-party fact-checking system on Facebook, Instagram and Threads.

“We’re going to get back to our roots and focus on reducing mistakes, simplifying our policies and restoring free expression on our platforms,” Zuckerberg said.

Jeff Bezos (Amazon, Blue Origin)

Amazon founder Jeff Bezos has also demonstrated support for Trump’s upcoming administration.

Following Trump’s victory in the 2024 election, Bezos publicly congratulated  him, acknowledging his “extraordinary political comeback and decisive victory.”

The Washington Post and Amazon owner also joined other Big Tech leaders in pledging $1 million to Trump’s inaugural committee.

In December 2024, Amazon announced  the inauguration would air on its Prime Video service.

The streaming offer represents an in-kind donation worth another $1 million, an Amazon spokesperson said.

Much like other tech leaders, Bezos’ relationship with Trump has evolved from strained to collaborative.

Sam Altman (OpenAI)

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has spoken out in support of the President-elect, predicting that he will help with his company’s goals of stronger AI development.

In an interview  with Bloomberg, Altman said he agreed with Trump “deeply” on how difficult it has become “to build things in the U.S.” “Power plants, data centers, any of that kind of stuff,” Altman said.

Talking to Fox Business on Dec. 1, Altman said  he believed Trump would be “very good” at getting new AI infrastructure built in the U.S.

The OpenAI CEO also joined other tech leaders in donating $1 million to the inauguration.

Sundar Pichai (Google/Alphabet)

Google CEO Sundar Pichai has taken steps to align with President-elect Donald Trump’s administration, following the 2024 election.

After Trump’s victory, Pichai publicly congratulated  him, acknowledging his “decisive victory” and expressing optimism for future collaboration to foster innovation.

Earlier in January, Google also donated  $1 million to Trump’s inaugural fund, a significant increase from previous contributions, signaling an effort to build a cooperative relationship with the new administration.

In 2017, Google donated $285,000 to Trump’s first inauguration. For President Joe Biden’s 2021 inauguration, Google was listed among the corporate donors, though the exact amount was not specified.

Jensen Huang (Nvidia)

Nvidia boss Jensen Huang also expressed support for Trump’s Presidency while downplaying the significance of his $1 million donation to the inauguration.

In an interview with Bloomberg,  the Nvidia boss said he would be delighted “to go see him and congratulate him, and do whatever we can to make this administration succeed.”

“We will give them as much insight as we can from our perspective,” he added. “I am sure the administration will make the right moves.”

However, the Nvidia CEO said he had not yet received an invitation to Trump’s home base at Mar-a-Lago in Florida.

Tim Cook (Apple)

Apple CEO Tim Cook has also demonstrated clear support for President-elect Donald Trump’s upcoming administration.

Following Trump’s victory, Cook was among the first U.S. CEOs to extend congratulations.

“Congratulations President Trump on your victory!” Cook wrote  on X. “We look forward to engaging with you and your administration to help make sure the United States continues to lead with and be fueled by ingenuity, innovation, and creativity.”

Peter Thiel (Palantir, Founders Fund)

Palantir Technologies co-founder Peter Thiel has a long history with the President-elect.

Last August, Senator JD Vance urged his long-time supporter, Silicon Valley billionaire Peter Thiel, to support Donald Trump’s bid for the White House.

Talking to the Financial Times, Vance said , “I’m going to keep on talking to Peter and persuading him that—you know, he’s obviously been exhausted by politics a little bit—but he’s going to be really exhausted by politics if we lose and if Kamala Harris is president.”

In an interview  with The Atlantic in November 2023, Thiel stated that he had declined a request from Trump earlier that year for a $10 million donation, indicating his decision to step back from political funding in the 2024 election cycle.

Thiel previously supported Trump in 2016 with a $1.25 million contribution, but expressed that his experiences during that time were “crazier” and “more dangerous” than he had anticipated.

“There are a lot of things I got wrong,” he said. “It was crazier than I thought. It was more dangerous than I thought.”

“They couldn’t get the most basic pieces of the government to work. So that was, I think that part was maybe worse than even my low expectations,” he added.

However, away from financial backing, Thiel accurately  predicted Trump’s 2024 victory.

“I think the odds are slightly in favor of Trump, but it’s basically 50-50. My one contrarian view on the election is that it’s not going to be close,” Thiel said in September. “You know, most presidential elections aren’t.”

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Kurt Robson

Kurt Robson is a London-based reporter at CCN with a diverse background across several prominent news outlets. Having transitioned into the world of technology journalism several years ago, Kurt has developed a keen fascination with all things AI. Kurt’s reporting blends a passion for innovation with a commitment to delivering insightful, accurate and engaging stories on the cutting edge of technology.
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