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Wealthy Washington backers and some of the state’s highest-profile businesses, including Amazon, Boeing and Microsoft, donated more than $5.3 million to President Donald Trump’s inaugural committee.
In the Evergreen State and the rest of the nation, billionaires and corporations under federal scrutiny led the way, followed by individual donors. Even more modest donations — with a floor of $50,000 — entitled donors to face-to-face encounters with members of Trump’s inner circle, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio and House Speaker Mike Johnson.
Nationally, the Trump Vance Inaugural Committee reeled in a record-setting $245.2 million, according to Federal Election Commission records, with tech firms and billionaires plunking down maximum donations of $1 million.
Four donations in that amount from Washington came from Amazon, Boeing, Microsoft and the CEO of Uber, Seattleite Dara Khosrowshani.
Four of Trump’s five top donors from Washington state face active enforcement actions or lawsuits initiated by the federal government, as is true of many of the top donors to the inauguration nationally. Eighty-eight corporations facing investigations or legal actions by the federal government provided $50 million — more than 20% of the total Trump’s committee collected — the left-leaning nonprofit Public Citizen, which tracks the political influence economy, noted in a statement.
Cryptocurrency companies, pharmaceutical and tech firms, the oil and auto industries, and hedge funds were among the donors nationally. Cases against 11 of the companies that donated already have been dismissed, and six more have been put on hold, according to Public Citizen, which called the donations possible “down payments for pardons or decisions to drop enforcement actions.”
“In terms of trying to get their way with this administration, corporations are pulling out all the stops, said Rick Claypool, a researcher at Public Citizen who focuses on the White House.
Boeing, Microsoft and Amazon all contributed to Democrat Joe Biden’s inaugural committee, as well as Trump’s first inauguration in 2017.
Meet the corporations
Dealings with the federal government hold high stakes for corporations like Amazon, Boeing and Microsoft.
They’re subject to regulatory action that can force them to halt certain practices, alter their operations or interfere with their profitability. Moreover, the companies and their stockholders stand to gain substantially from government contracts.
When Amazon cut a $1 million check to support Trump’s inauguration, the company was already in the midst of federal lawsuits, regulatory enforcement actions and investigations by five separate federal agencies. The allegations against the company include worker mistreatment, consumer dissatisfaction, sale of illegal goods, fraud and anticompetitive practices.
An Amazon spokesperson declined to answer when asked the company’s motive for donating. Since Trump took office, Amazon’s stock price has tumbled 18%, as of Friday's close.
In addition to the federal contracts it relies on and the many more it is pursuing, Boeing faces a multitude of federal enforcement actions and investigations.
The Federal Aviation Administration is ever-present in Boeing’s operations, after lax oversight contributed to crashes of Boeing jets in 2018 and 2019 that killed 330 people. The National Labor Relations Board is also reviewing more than 30 open cases alleging unfair labor practices at the company.
"We are pleased to continue Boeing's bipartisan tradition of supporting U.S. Presidential Inaugural Committees, a company spokesperson said in a written statement. Boeing declined to answer specific questions about its donation.
Microsoft, the subject of a bevy of antitrust-related actions and investigations, declined to comment or answer questions about its donations.
Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi donated $1 million to Trump’s inauguration.
Khosrowshahi, formerly CEO of Seattle-based Expedia, has been a longtime donor to progressive causes and Democratic candidates. Uber currently faces two Federal Trade Commission investigations. Uber did not respond to messages seeking comment.
Among Trump’s million-dollar donors from Washington state, only Coupang, a tech firm founded by South Korean entrepreneur Bom Kim that based its headquarters in Seattle in 2022, is without pending federal legal action.
Smaller, but not small, donors
Sabey Corp., a Seattle firm that began as a real estate and construction company in the 1970s, but has evolved to building and operating data centers and investing in medical research, gave $50,000 to Trump’s inauguration. And Lawrence Enterprises, a large farming operation in the Columbia Valley of Grant County, gave $54,480.
Lumen Technologies, which holds naming rights on the Seahawks’ home stadium, donated $35,000 to Trump’s inauguration.
Kate Johnson of Mercer Island, the former president of Microsoft U.S. who is now president and CEO of Lumen Technologies, donated $15,000 to the inaugural committee. Johnson also serves on the UPS board of directors
As of Friday’s final bell, Louisiana-based Lumen’s stock had lost 39% of its value since Trump’s inauguration Jan. 20. Lumen currently faces 19 open complaints of unfair labor practices with the NLRB affecting up to 50,000 employees, Public Citizen reported.
“We support members from across the political spectrum, including President Trump, who are prioritizing technology policies that advance the telecommunications industry and ensure the U.S. remains competitive in the AI race,” Lumen spokesperson Joe Goode said. “To suggest that support was linked to regulatory matters is categorically false.”
Claypool didn’t buy Lumen’s explanation.
“I think that’s a little bit comical and absurd,” he said. “The idea that businesses are cutting million-dollar checks out of some sense of civic duty is ludicrous, especially when you consider lobbying and all the other deliberate activities these corporations engage in to improve their bottom lines.”
They, the people
Individual donors from Washington came to support Trump for various reasons. Among them were business owners and lifelong Republicans who bought into Trump from the beginning, and those with newfound affinity for Trump that is anything but unwavering.
Cary Falk, a Redmond entrepreneur who describes himself as “stupid-rich,” boasts that he voted for Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton in past presidential elections. But he donated $50,000 to Trump’s inauguration.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Falk was in a relationship at the time with someone who fell down a rabbit hole of online conservative conspiracy theories. While he didn’t adopt them himself, Falk admits that the introduction of these notions led him to meet conservatives across the state and reassess his political stances.
“My political take is pro-Cary,” Falk said. “I’m an independent thinker, although I’m not right all the time. I’ve always voted for whoever I think is the right person for the job.”
In 2024, he said, Trump was that candidate. His positions on immigration, interest rates and eschewing diversity, equity and inclusion measures aligned with Falk’s. But there were times in the past when Falk abhorred Trump.
“Last time Trump was president, I cringed every time he sent a tweet,” Falk said. “He has been a massive embarrassment to this country in so many different ways, but at least he’s making an attempt to make this country better.”
Ultimately, Trump’s wealth is what convinced Falk to support him. “When you’re that rich, you’re incorruptible,” Falk said. “Nobody can buy you off.”
Longtime Republican Suzie Burke, owner of the Seattle real estate firm Fremont Dock Co., has stood by Trump’s side from the start. Fremont Dock Co. gave $40,000 to Trump’s inaugural celebration. Burke’s brother, company Vice President Michael Osterfeld, also gave $10,000.
“I gave to it because I was delighted that Mr. Trump got elected,” Burke said. “I want significant change in the country and I’m pretty damned happy with what he was doing.”
Despite Trump’s upside-down popularity since taking office, Burke stands by the job he’s done.
“My business is affected more by the bad decisions in city government and the fact that Washington state shut down during COVID. We’re still not recovered in Seattle in the office-space market,” Burke said. “I’m much more affected by that. I’m not expecting the federal government to fix it for me.”
At 80, Burke declined to travel to frigid Washington, D.C., in the winter. Instead, she sent her son-in-law, who is a U.S. citizen from Turkey, and state Sen. Phil Fortunato, R-Auburn. The guests who went in her stead were treated to personal meetings with members of the administration.
Falk had in-person meetings with Speaker Johnson and Rubio, as well as numerous Republican members of Congress.
“It was absolutely insanely awesome, and I say that because it was so much fun,” he said. “It’s a big-deal celebrity event. The majority of people I met were very wealthy, some even from my own neighborhood.”
Brian Heywood, the hedge-fund manager at Taiyo Pacific Partners who bankrolled six high-profile 2024 ballot initiatives, gave $125,000 to the inaugural committee. His wife, listed in prior FEC reports as a homemaker, matched that amount.
Richard Bacigalupi and his wife Carol Griswold Bacigalupi of Langley gave $25,000 each. Thomas Barr, president of Sono Bello, a Food and Drug Administration-regulated cosmetic surgery center, former Bellevue mayor and City Councilmember Conrad Lee, and promoter of conservative causes Steven M. Gordon each gave $50,000.
Unlike campaign contributions, which Claypool likened to a wager placed on a candidate by individual and corporate donors, inaugural donations go to the victor, a means of cozying up to the known decision-maker who’s about to assume control.
“I think it’s plain that Trump and his administration can be swayed and flattered and persuaded to particular views and carry out favors for specific industries,” Claypool said.
In 2021, the U.S. House of Representatives passed legislation that would have restricted inaugural donations and required more public disclosure of low-dollar donors, among other ethical reforms aimed at minimizing money in exchange for influence in the federal government. It died that summer in the Senate.
Since taking office, Trump has opened new avenues for donors seeking influence to pony up cash. For the first time, last week’s White House Easter Egg Roll accepted corporate money, and the website for Trump’s cryptocurrency company promised the top 220 investors an intimate in-person dinner at his Virginia golf club.
Correction: A previous version of this story misstated the role once held at Microsoft by Lumen CEO Kate Johnson, who served as president of Microsoft's U.S. division. The story also incorrectly stated that Coupang CEO Bom Kim lives in Seattle. He does not.
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