WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. President Joe Biden raised $61.8 million for his inauguration events, receiving large contributions from corporations, labor unions and wealthy individuals, according to a financial disclosure.
The Democratic president’s inaugural committee took in $1 million in contributions each from about 10 big companies, including Pfizer Inc, the maker of one of the COVID-19 vaccines being deployed in the United States, as well as from AT&T Services Inc, Bank of America Corp and Boeing Co.
Corporations making $1 million donations also included Uber Technologies Inc, Lockheed Martin Corp and Qualcomm Inc, according to the filing submitted on Tuesday with the Federal Election Commission.
The committee also received $1 million from the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, a major labor union.
About a dozen individuals donated $500,000 each, according to the filing.
The filing did not give details on how the money was spent on the events accompanying Biden’s Jan. 20 inauguration, which nixed traditional inaugural balls due to the coronavirus pandemic but included televised performances by Lady Gaga and Garth Brooks.
The inauguration ceremony at the U.S. Capitol, including security, was paid for by the federal government.
The money raised by Biden’s committee was well below the $106 million raised by Donald Trump for his 2017 inauguration, but exceeded the $53 million raised by Barack Obama for his first inauguration in 2009.
(Reporting by Jason Lange; editing by Jonathan Oatis)
