Spotify hosted brunch forward of Trump inauguration and donated $150,000 to ceremony
Spotify hosted a brunch someday earlier than Donald Trump’s inauguration and donated $150,000 (£122,000) to the official ceremony.
The music streaming service held the brunch to have fun the “energy of podcasts on this election”, inviting high-profile podcasters Joe Rogan, Ben Shapiro and Tim Pool to the occasion, though Bloomberg reported that Rogan didn’t attend ultimately.
The Swedish newspaper Dagens Nyheter additionally reported that the corporate donated the sum of $150,000 to the inauguration ceremony. In response to the report, Spotify claimed that “the donation goals to proceed to develop our presence in Washington D.C. whereas furthering the targets of our platform and our creators.”
“It’s in step with the work we do in capitals around the globe to advance our coverage points, no matter who’s in energy,” an organization spokesperson mentioned.
Spotify additionally issued an announcement to Bloomberg concerning the brunch, describing it as “enterprise as common”.
“Spotify has lengthy hosted occasions in Washington D.C. and different capitals worldwide, bringing collectively political leaders, media figures and business friends from throughout the political spectrum”.
Rogan welcomed Trump onto his podcast, which is hosted by Spotify, within the days main as much as the election in November. The streamer’s chief public affairs officer Dustee Jenkins has mentioned the episode is the platform’s most listened-to particular person podcast by a “lengthy shot”.
Different main digital firms, together with Google and YouTube, additionally hosted inauguration weekend occasions, whereas Variety has reported that Apple and Amazon every donated $1million to the inauguration ceremony.
Trump was formally sworn in because the forty seventh United States President on Monday (January 20) and instantly set about issuing a collection of govt orders, together with one declaring that the nation would solely recognise two genders: female and male.
The coverage has prompted widespread criticism, together with from Lucy Dacus, who has pledged $10,000 for trans surgical procedures for followers and has inspired others to donate equally.
Ariana Grande has additionally shared a repost on Instagram Stories that reads: “Let’s be very clear: queer and trans individuals have been right here earlier than Donald Trump and can continued to be right here after he’s lifeless. Whether or not or not you need to us to exist is secondary to the easy undeniable fact that we do. The solar doesn’t care for those who signal an govt order telling it to cease rising every morning. It simply continues to rise.”
Throughout the inauguration occasions, Elon Musk gave a speech expressing his delight at Trump’s victory, earlier than slapping his chest together with his proper hand and lengthening his arm diagonally upwards with the palm going through down. The X/Twitter proprietor then circled to crowd members behind the rostrum and repeated the gesture.
Many individuals have in contrast the gesture to a Nazi salute, together with My Chemical Romance’s Frank Iero, who wrote: “Fuck this man and each single particular person supporting this shit or losing any sort of breath trying to defend it,” he wrote within the caption, earlier than including: “Your true colors are shining by way of. #SmashHate.”