President Donald Trump's inaugural committee brought in a record $106.7 million. | Getty Companies with issues before government wrote big checks for Trump's inauguration Trump's inaugural committee brought in a record $106.7 million, double the amount of Obama's first ceremony.

President Donald Trump’s record $106.7 million inauguration fundraising haul drew heavily from U.S. companies with policy issues in front of the new Republican administration, according to documents released Wednesday.

AT&T, the largest single corporate donor for January’s official government handover, gave $2.1 million as it awaits federal approval of its merger with Time Warner. San Diego-based Qualcomm donated $1 million while it continues to fight an Obama-era Federal Trade Commission anti-competitiveness complaint.


Other Trump inauguration corporate donors — named in an exhaustive 510-page Federal Election Commission report — are among those who have been directly criticized by Trump himself. General Motors supplied nearly a half-million dollars to the president’s inauguration, including “in-kind” donations of vehicle services, even as it fends off his criticism for making Chevy Cruze models in Mexico. Defense contractor Boeing gave $1 million despite Trump’s complaints about its new Air Force One contract.

Amazon also opened its checkbook for Trump, giving nearly $58,000 for the inauguration even though its founder, Jeff Bezos, has drawn the president’s wrath on Twitter.

White House press secretary Sean Spicer on Wednesday brushed aside questions about the ethical implications of taking money from donors with pending policy issues in front of Trump’s government, calling it “nonpartisan activity” in which other administrations also participated.

“This is a time-honored tradition,” Spicer said. “I think a lot of Americans and companies and entities are proud to support the inaugural, and I think that you've seen that over time. There are a lot of people who really take pride in helping us show the world a peaceful transformation of power.”

Organized by private-equity titan Tom Barrack, Trump’s tally for the celebration surrounding his move into the White House came in at roughly twice the amount collected during former President Barack Obama’s first inauguration in 2009. That year, the country’s first African-American president raised $53 million.

Trump’s fundraising, in fact, drew from a wide swath of his friends and former political foes. Many of the president’s wealthy business peers from the real estate, gambling, entertainment, investment and sports worlds where Trump built his own fortune also donated.

The largest check came from Sheldon Adelson, the billionaire casino mogul and Republican megadonor, who contributed $5 million.

In all, more than 40 individuals and corporations each gave at least $1 million toward Trump’s inauguration festivities, including Bank of America, Pfizer and Qualcomm, top executives from Cantor Fitzgerald and GoDaddy, and the owners of the National Football League’s Houston Texans, Jacksonville Jaguars, Los Angeles Rams, New England Patriots, New York Jets and Washington Redskins.

Former political opponents donated too, including Robert Mercer, the hedge-fund tycoon and Breitbart part-owner who initially backed the Ted Cruz campaign but went on to become one of Trump’s largest campaign contributors. He gave $1 million to the inauguration.

Woody Johnson, the Jets owner who originally served as Jeb Bush’s national finance chairman, also donated $1 million. So did pro-Bush super PAC donors like Redskins owner Daniel Snyder, billionaire coal baron Chris Cline, and Marlene Ricketts, whose family owns the Chicago Cubs.

Trump’s associates and longtime friends were some of his biggest inauguration donors. Robert Kraft, the Patriots owner and Mar-a-Lago member, contributed $1 million through the Kraft Group. New York caterer Claudine Revere, whose clients include Trump, also gave $1 million. The inauguration also received $100,000 from billionaire PayPal founder Peter Thiel and $250,000 from Steve Schwarzman, the Blackstone CEO who is serving as an outside adviser to the White House.

Among other U.S companies with business interests squarely before Trump’s government that donated to the inauguration: Microsoft, which gave $500,000; Comcast and Ford Motor, which donated $250,000 each; and Verizon, with a $100,000 donation.

Fossil fuel interests also were heavily represented among Trump’s inauguration donors. Exxon, whose former CEO Rex Tillerson is now Trump’s secretary of state, gave $500,000. Other big energy players giving to the president’s inauguration include Andarko Petroleum, BP, Citgo, Chevron, Consol Energy, Continental Resources, Murray Energy, NextEra Energy and Valero Services.

During his 2016 primary campaign, Trump struggled at first to pick up support from rank-and-file Republican politicians repelled by his anti-establishment message. Only a few ended up giving to his presidential inauguration. They include $1,300 from Pennsylvania Rep. Lou Barletta, $750 from Georgia Sen. David Perdue, $300 from Mississippi Sen. Roger Wicker, $200 from Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski, and $200 from Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller. The National Republican Senatorial Committee also gave $850.

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The FEC disclosures also provide a snapshot into donations beyond cash. Wynn Resorts, whose owner Steve Wynn, is a longtime Trump business competitor, donated more than $730,000 worth of musical performances for the inauguration. Other in-kind donations came from Coca-Cola, Mars Inc., GM and FedEx.

Trump’s inauguration proved to be heavily controversial, with photos and Washington Metro ridership data showing that the president drew fewer attendees than Obama’s ceremonies did, despite the White House’s claims that Trump’s inauguration had record crowds.

But in a statement released Tuesday before the official filing, Barrack said that the fundraising created an “incredible moment” in history.

“The amount of funds raised for the inaugural celebration allowed the president to give the American people, those both at home and visiting Washington, a chance to experience the incredible moment in our democracy where we witness the peaceful transition of power, a cornerstone of American democracy,” Barrack said.

Nolan McCaskill, Louis Nelson and Theo Meyer contributed to this report.