Four years ago, we watched as corporate America collectively clutched its pearls and denounced the chaos at the U.S. Capitol. They issued bold pledges to withhold support from those who dared to dispute the 2020 election results, draping themselves in the flag of integrity. But here we are, in 2025, and those same companies are lining up to shower Donald Trump’s inauguration with cash like a Wall Street sugar daddy at a Vegas strip club.
Ford, Intuit, Toyota, and the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA)—all of whom once wagged their fingers at the January 6 rioters—are now tossing a cool million each into Trump’s inauguration coffers. Goldman Sachs, General Motors, Bank of America, AT&T, and Stanley Black & Decker are among the others rushing to write checks, proving that when it comes to money and power, memory is as short as their principles are cheap.
It’s not like these corporations are newcomers to political grease. But for some, like Goldman and Toyota, this is their first time in at least a decade backing an inauguration fund. Apparently, integrity has an expiration date, and it’s four years.
Remember the grandstanding back in 2021? Companies paused donations, promised accountability, and swore to “factor integrity” into their political decisions. What a joke. Turns out, “integrity” is just a buzzword for press releases, not boardroom strategy. Now, they’re tripping over themselves to cozy up to an administration they think will grease the wheels of their industries.
When asked why they’ve done this sudden about-face, most of these companies declined to comment. Shocking. But let’s be real—they don’t need to say a word. Their actions scream louder than any PR statement ever could: principles are for public relations; money is for power.
Oh, and let’s not forget cryptocurrency platforms Kraken and Coinbase, each donating $1 million since Trump vowed to ease regulations on crypto and be the pro-crypto administration, whatever the hell that means.
So here we are, folks, watching the same old dance where corporations bend over backward to fund the very machine they once condemned. It’s not patriotism. It’s not pragmatism. It’s naked self-interest, wrapped in a thin veneer of respectability. And it’s all happening while they hope the rest of us are too distracted to notice.
But here’s the thing—SCREW Magazine is watching. And we won’t let these hypocrites sweep their dirty deeds under the rug. If January 6, 2020 was a wake-up call, then this inauguration is a reminder: in America, money talks, and principles walk.
—P.
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