Trump raises millions for inauguration's costs
WASHINGTON — The inauguration of a new president requires the recitation of a 35-word oath. That’s it. Dress it up with some hoopla and glitz, though, and pretty soon you’re talking real money.
Donald Trump will have it to spend.
Trump’s Presidential Inaugural Committee has raised a record $90 million-plus in private donations, far more than President Barack Obama’s two inaugural committees. They collected $55 million in 2009 and $43 million in 2013, and had some left over on the first go-round.
But while Trump has raised more money for his inauguration than any president in history, he’s aiming to do less with it. Lead inaugural planner Tom Barrack said this week the Trump team wants to avoid a “circuslike atmosphere” in favor of a more “back to work” mindset that surrounds Trump “with the soft sensuality of the place.”
Trump’s committee has declined to provide details on how it’s aiming to spend its hefty bankroll. Steve Kerrigan, CEO for Obama’s inaugural committee in 2013 and chief of staff in 2009, said the $90 million fundraising haul looks like overkill.
“I can’t imagine how they are going to spend that amount of money — and why they would even keep raising money,” he said. “We planned the two largest inaugurations in the history of our country and we never spent anywhere near that.”
Trump this week promised a “very, very elegant day” with “massive crowds.” They’ll arrive to find a party that isn’t nearly as involved as Obama’s.
Trump is holding three inaugural balls; Obama had 10 balls at his first inaugural. Trump’s team also hopes to keep its parade to 90 minutes. The longest parade, with 73 bands and 59 floats, lasted more than four and half hours, at Dwight Eisenhower’s first inauguration, in 1953.
The president-elect’s inaugural team has also failed to attract the kind of A-list performers who turned out in force for Obama. Trump’s announced headliners are teen singer Jackie Evancho, the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and the Radio City Rockettes.
Spokesman Boris Epshteyn said the inaugural committee is “fully focused on organizing world-class events that honor our nation’s tremendous history and reach every corner of the globe.” Any excess money raised will be donated to charity.
Obama used his excess inaugural dollars to help pay for the White House Easter egg roll and other events in his first term, Kerrigan said. Trump hasn’t specified what charities might benefit from any leftovers.
