stellantis, owner of Chrysler, the U.S. division of Hyundai Motor and Delta Air Lines have announced that they have donated a million dollars each to the US President-elect's inauguration fund, Donald Trump. US media reported that other major companies that have donated for the January 20 inauguration include Boeing, General Motors, Ford Motor, Microsoft, Amazon, Alphabet and Meta, the parent company of Facebook.
John Elkann at Trump's inauguration
The president of Stellantis, John Elkann, will also be among the company executives who will attend Trump's inauguration ceremony at the White House in Washington. It should be noted that in the past the company had not participated financially in presidential inaugurations, neither for Trump in 2017, nor for Joe Biden in 2021.
The company's change of direction could serve to establish more relaxed relations with the new administration in order to revive the fortunes of Stellantis in the USA after the collapse in sales (-15%) recorded in 2024. But even after Trump's criticisms of Stellantis, who during the election campaign had criticized the group for its plans to relocate to Mexico, threatening to impose 100% tariffs on cars produced outside the United States.
First time for Hyundai too
In the case of Hyundai, the first time the South Korean automaker has donated to a presidential inauguration. The company said it “welcomes the opportunity to work with the new administration on policies that support American manufacturing, protect supply chains and spur innovation.”
The donations from the two car manufacturers also come at a time when the potential tariffs and policy changes on electric vehicles and vehicle emissions being considered by the new U.S. administration could have a dramatic impact on the auto sector.