Spotify Held Brunch Before Trump’s Inauguration and Contributed $150,000 to the Event

Spotify’s Support for Trump’s Inauguration

Spotify hosted a brunch the day before Donald Trump’s inauguration and contributed $150,000 (£122,000) to the official ceremony.

Celebrating Podcasts and Political Engagement

The music streaming platform organized the brunch to honor “the power of podcasts in this election,” inviting notable podcasters like Joe Rogan, Ben Shapiro, and Tim Poole to attend. Bloomberg reported that Rogan ultimately did not show up.

According to Swedish newspaper Dagens Nyheter, the company also donated $150,000 to support the inauguration ceremony. Spotify remarked that “the donation is intended to further expand our presence in Washington, D.C., while furthering the goals of our platform and our creators.”

“This is consistent with the work we do in capitals around the world to advance our political issues, regardless of who is in power,” stated a company spokesperson.

Spotify also commented to Bloomberg regarding the brunch, labeling it as “business as usual.”

“Spotify has a long history of hosting events in Washington and other capitals around the world, bringing together political leaders, media members and industry peers from across the political spectrum,” they added.

Impact of Trump’s Inauguration

Rogan welcomed Trump on his Spotify-hosted podcast just days before the November election. The episode was reported to be the most listened to individual podcast on the platform, with a “far-reaching likelihood,” according to Dusty Jenkins, Spotify’s director of communications.

Other significant digital companies, including Google and YouTube, also organized inaugural events during the weekend. Diversity reported that Apple and Amazon each donated $1 million to the inauguration ceremony.

Trump was officially sworn in as the 47th president of the United States on Monday (January 20) and promptly began issuing several executive orders, one of which declared that the country would recognize only two genders: male and female.

This policy faced significant backlash, including criticism from Lucy Dacus, who pledged $10,000 toward trans-surgery for followers and encouraged others to make similar contributions.

Ariana Grande also shared a repost on Instagram Stories saying: “Let’s be very clear: Gay and transgender people were here before Donald Trump and will continue to be here after his death. Whether you want us to exist is secondary to the simple fact that we exist. The sun doesn’t care if you sign a decree prohibiting it from rising every morning. It just keeps growing.”

During the inauguration, Elon Musk delivered a speech expressing excitement over Trump’s victory, making a gesture that many compared to a Nazi salute, including My Chemical Romance’s Frank Iero. Iero criticized Musk, writing: “Fuck this guy and every single person who supports this shit or wastes their time trying to defend it,” and added, “Your true colors shine through. #SmashHate.”