XOM Exxon Mobil Corp

By Rebecca Ballhaus 

At least 18 major corporations gave more than $5 million to fund President Donald Trump's inauguration festivities, according to new disclosures, including several companies whose executives are now serving in the new administration and whose business will be affected by Mr. Trump's policies.

Among the top donors to Mr. Trump's inauguration fund was Exxon Mobil, whose former chief executive, Rex Tillerson, the president has tapped to serve as secretary of state . Exxon donated $500,000 to the fund on Dec. 19 -- less than a week after Mr. Trump officially named Mr. Tillerson as his pick. In 2013, the company gave half that amount to former President Barack Obama's inauguration fund.

Two corporations -- Pfizer Inc. and the Dow Chemical Co. -- each gave $1 million to the inaugural fund. Dow Chemical's donation came about two weeks after Mr. Trump tapped the company's CEO, Andrew Liveris, to head a manufacturing council .

Neither company gave to Mr. Obama's inauguration in 2013.

Mr. Trump's inaugural committee, which raised more than $90 million, doesn't have to report its donors until April. But corporations that lobby the federal government are required to biannually disclose contributions to inaugural committees. The new reports only cover donations made in the final six months of 2016.

Corporate donations to inauguration funds aren't unusual. Mr. Obama also drew millions from corporations in 2013, though he banned such contributions to his inaugural fund four years earlier. But corporate donations to Mr. Trump's inauguration have come under scrutiny as the president has singled out several corporations in recent months for criticism or praise.

The donations also follow a campaign in which corporations were wary of linking themselves to the Republican candidate. At least four corporations that declined to support or reduced their donations to the Republican convention in July subsequently gave to Mr. Trump's inauguration.

At least three other corporations each gave $500,000 to the fund: Altria Client Services LLC, Amgen Inc. and Florida Crystals Corp.

Donors who gave $500,000 or more to the inaugural fund were invited to a "candlelight dinner" during inauguration weekend with Mr. Trump and his wife, Melania, and Vice President Mike Pence and his wife, Karen. They could also attend a separate "intimate dinner" with the Pences and lunch alongside "select cabinet appointees."

Microsoft Corp. donated $250,000 to the inaugural fund -- down from $2 million to Mr. Obama in 2013, including in-kind contributions -- and General Motors Co. donated $200,000. General Motors has since found itself the target of Mr. Trump's Twitter account. About 10 days after the company's donation, Mr. Trump tweeted at General Motors warning it to make its Chevy Cruze model in the U.S. rather than in Mexico. The auto maker's chief executive, Mary Barra, said days later that the company wouldn't move small-car production to the U.S.

Companies who gave $100,000 each to the inaugural fund included Aetna Inc., Anthem Inc., Clean Energy Fuels Corp., MetLife Group, Southern Company and Verizon Inc.

The agriculture company Monsanto Co. also donated $25,000 to the inaugural fund. About a month later, its chief executive met with Mr. Trump to pitch the benefits of its planned deal with Bayer AG.

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

February 01, 2017 00:09 ET (05:09 GMT)

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