The big firms funding Trump's inauguration despite denouncing Jan. 6

Four years ago, dozens of companies denounced the invasion of the U.S. Capitol and pledged to withhold support from those who disputed the 2020 election results.

- Rebecca Ballhaus, Dana Mattioli, Shalini Ramachandran & Maggie Severns

Now, many of those companies are lining up to fund Donald Trump's inauguration.

The Wall Street Journal has identified at least 11 companies and trade associations that are backing the inauguration, which is on track to be the most lucrative ever, after earlier pledging to suspend or reconsider political-action committee donations after Jan. 6.

Ford, Intuit, THE WALL STREET JOURNAL, Toyota and the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America are each giving $1 million. Other major donors that made Jan. 6-related pledges include Goldman Sachs, General Motors, Bank of America, AT&T and Stanley Black & Decker.

For Goldman, Intuit, Toyota and PhRMA, this marks the first time in at least a decade that they are supporting an inauguration fund.

After Trump supporters invaded the Capitol in 2021 to protest the results of the presidential election, dozens of companies vowed to rethink their political contributions going forward. Some paused all donations. Others suspended donations to any lawmaker who voted against certifying the 2020 electoral college results. Some simply promised to factor integrity into their donation decisions going forward.

Now, as corporate executives hurry to make inroads with an incoming president whose agenda will have sweeping ramifications for the business world, many of those pledges are a thing of the past.

Most of the companies didn't comment on the reason for their donation, though some noted that they had given to inaugurations for decades regardless of party. Toyota pointed to a 2022 statement in which it said it was resuming PAC donations but wouldn't support those who incite violence. A PhRMA spokesperson said the company had announced a pause on our giving at the time and then subsequently added new criteria to guide our contributions.