|
 |
Welcome to Popular Information, a newsletter dedicated to accountability journalism.
 |
It has been nearly five years since the 2020 presidential election, but President Trump continues to baselessly insist it was stolen. In a rambling post on Truth Social on Sunday, Trump falsely claimed the 2020 election was “Rigged and Stolen,” calling it “the biggest SCANDAL in American history!” Trump made similar claims aimed at undermining confidence in the 2026 midterms.
What’s worse, the NBA Players cheating at cards, and probably much else, or the Democrats cheating on Elections. The 2020 Presidential Election, being Rigged and Stolen, is a far bigger SCANDAL. Look what happened to our Country when a Crooked Moron became our “President!” We now know everything. I hope the DOJ pursues this with as much “gusto” as befitting the biggest SCANDAL in American history! If not, it will happen again, including the upcoming Midterms. No mail-in or “Early” Voting, Yes to Voter ID! Watch how totally dishonest the California Prop Vote is! Millions of Ballots being “shipped.” GET SMART REPUBLICANS, BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE!!!
It was these kinds of brazen lies from Trump that inspired a violent attack on the United States Capitol on January 6, 2021. In the aftermath, dozens of major corporations announced that they would not support candidates who sought to overturn the legitimate results of the 2020 presidential election.
Today, those same corporations are meeting Trump’s election denial with silence. At the same time, many are funneling millions into one of Trump’s pet projects in an effort to stay in his good graces.
The government has been shut down since October 1. Millions of Americans face drastic increases in health care costs, and nutrition assistance for children in low-income families will soon be suspended. Trump, however, has spent months talking about the construction of an ornate White House ballroom.
“For 150 years they wanted to build a ballroom at the White House and they’ve tried, but the presidents were not real estate people; they had no clue,” Trump claimed in a May interview on NBC. “[W]hat we’re gonna do, you’re gonna see the most beautiful ballroom in the world.”
The nine-figure project, long a Trump priority, required the demolition of the White House’s East Wing. Since convincing Congress to allocate hundreds of millions of dollars for a White House ballroom would be a tough sell, Trump has solicited private donations to make the project possible.
Donors to the ballroom project were rewarded with an invitation to the White House on October 15 for an exclusive event with Trump. “The White House, for 150 years plus, they’ve wanted to have a ballroom, and it never happened because they’ve never had a real estate person,” Trump told the donors in attendance. “For me, I like it. For me, it’s like… I love it.”
Many in the audience represented corporations that, less than five years ago, pledged not to support politicians who undermine the democratic process.
Amazon
In January 2021, Amazon condemned the January 6 Capitol insurrection and vowed to stop donating to those who attempted to overturn the election. “Given the unacceptable attempt to undermine a legitimate democratic process, the Amazon PAC has suspended contributions to any Member of Congress who voted to override the results of the US Presidential election,” the company said in a statement. “We intend to discuss our concerns directly with those Members we have previously supported and will evaluate their responses as we consider future PAC contributions.”
But now Amazon is among the donors to the new White House ballroom, according to a list released by the White House. The company also supported Trump’s inauguration, donating $1 million to Trump’s inaugural fund.
Microsoft
After January 6, 2021, Microsoft pledged to stop donating to election deniers. “[W]e will suspend contributions for the duration of the 2022 election cycle to all members of Congress who voted to object to the certification of electors,” the company said in a statement. The company also pledged to “suspend contributions for the same period for state officials and organizations who supported such objections or suggested the election should be overturned.”
Microsoft, however, donated to Trump’s new ballroom. The company also donated $750,000 to Trump’s inaugural fund.
In January 2021, a spokesperson for Google said in a statement that, following “the disturbing events at the Capitol,” the Google NetPAC would “not be making any contributions this cycle to any member of Congress who voted against certification of the election results.”
But now Google is among the donors to Trump’s new White House ballroom. Google also donated $1 million to Trump’s inaugural fund.
Comcast
Comcast pledged to suspend all “political contributions to those elected officials who voted against certification of the electoral college votes.” But Comcast is now one of the donors to Trump’s new ballroom. Comcast also donated $1 million to Trump’s inaugural fund, according to OpenSecrets.
Companies that pledged to halt political giving after January 6, 2021
Several other companies pledged to halt all political giving following the Capitol insurrection on January 6, 2021. But many of these same companies also donated to Trump’s new ballroom, including Altria, Booz Allen Hamilton, Lockheed Martin, Meta (formerly known as Facebook), Union Pacific, and HP Inc. Some of these companies also donated to Trump’s inaugural fund, with Altria