Former New York Rep. Mondaire Jones insisted that donations from technology companies to President-elect Trump are not causing “harm.”
“A million dollars is nothing to these people, right?” Jones said on a CNN panel Saturday. “Because it's literally nothing to them…I think there's a very strong business rationale for what they're doing.”
Jones noted that the incoming Trump administration is keeping an eye on the technology industry as it prepares for a change in power.
His comments come as leaders of major tech companies seek to position themselves in Trump's favor before he takes office. Meta and Amazon each announced they would donate $1 million to President Trump's Inaugural Fund. OpenAI's Sam Altman also said he would donate $1 million from his personal funds.
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg held a meeting at Trump's Mar-a-Lago mansion a few weeks ago. Relations between the two parties soured after Trump was temporarily banned from Facebook following the 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol.
Jones said Republican leaders say “conservative censorship” continues on various social platforms and that it is their “duty” to address Trump before he takes office again. insisted.
“It may make people uncomfortable, but as a strictly business matter, it's appropriate because having to bend the knee is horrible and at the same time it's about profiting over people. “I think it's a great move,” he said.
CNN's Abby Phillippe had to silence other panel guests over Jones' comments, which sparked an altercation.
While donations to presidential inaugural funds are nothing new, some concerns have been raised about the financing of President Trump's second term. Observers see the move as part of a broader effort to court President Trump as he strengthens his relationship with X CEO Elon Musk.
Some panelists disagreed with Jones' remarks, highlighting concerns about donations because the companies employ thousands of Americans. Still, the former New York state lawmaker insisted it's not that big of a deal.
“All I'm saying is that donating millions of dollars to a founding committee is not going to cause the harm that you're talking about,” Jones said.
