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Christmas came early for Trump.
Car companies and other top CEOs are rushing to donate millions of dollars to the president elect’s inauguration fund before Trump, 78, enters the Oval Office on Jan. 20 — with Toyota being the latest to hand over the cash.
A rep for the Japan-based automotive manufacturer confirmed it had contributed $1 million to the fund in a statement to The Post on Christmas Eve.
Toyota’s contribution came after Ford and General Motors both said they would also be shelling out $1 million for the incoming president’s fund, Reuters reported.
Trump has floated a 25% tax on all imports coming from the Mexico, potentially hampering Toyota, which manufactures their Tacoma pickup truck there.
The Republican also threatened during his 2024 campaign that he could slap up to a 200% tariff on cars coming from Mexico in an effort to protect American automobile manufacturing.
The efforts to upend tax and trade policies when he gets to the White House has prompted even those who have sparred politically with the 45th president in the past to turn the other cheek.
Companies that previously vowed to not support Political Action Committees (PACs) that disputed the 2020 election after the Jan. 6 Capitol riot are also pitching in with massive donations, per the Wall Street Journal, including, Intuit, Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, Goldman Sachs, Bank of America, AT&T and Stanley Black & Decker.
Uber has given the largest donation, coming in at $2 million, per the Journal.
“The first term, everybody was fighting me,” Trump said during a press conference at Mar-a-Lago. “In this term, everybody wants to be my friend.”
Tech CEOs have also been frolicking around Mar-a-Lago in recent weeks, hoping to cozy up before the 47th president’s term kicks in, as Trump has expressed interest in significant tech innovation alongside his confidant Elon Musk.
Amazon founder Jeff Bezos was spotted dining with Trump at the Florida estate earlier in December, and he wrote a $1 million check later to the inaugural fund.
Bezos, who had previously spoken out against Trump, said he was “optimistic” about his second term in power.
“I’m actually very optimistic this time around,” Bezos revealed at the the New York Times’ DealBook Summit in New York earlier in December.
“He seems to have a lot of energy around reducing regulation. If I can help do that, I’m going to help him,” Bezos said. “We do have too many regulations in this country.”
Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg also gave the same amount after visiting Trump at Mar-a-Lago the month prior, and Open AI CEO Sam Altman was another billionaire who gave $1 million to the inauguration fund.
“I want to get ideas from them,” Trump said of his conversations with business leaders.
“Look, we want them to do well,” he said at the New York Stock Exchange after being deemed “person of the year.”
Foreign companies have also gotten in on the action. Softbank, a Japanese investment holding company, announced it would be investing $100 billion in US tech projects during Trump’s administration, the once and future president unveiled in a press conference at Mar-a-Lago last week.
Trump had previously promised to award companies that invest at least $1 billion “fully expedited approvals and permits” in the US.
“Any person or company investing ONE BILLION DOLLARS, OR MORE, in the United States of America, will receive fully expedited approvals and permits, including, but in no way limited to, all Environmental approvals. GET READY TO ROCK!!!” he said on Truth Social in early December.
