Mega-Donors Got Best Seats at Trump Inauguration

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By Daniel J. Solomon January 21, 2017

President Donald Trump promised at his Friday inauguration to place the interests of the people before those of the elites. But he was surrounded by some very monied individuals while he made that pledge.

A planning document leaked to the Intercept shows that the inauguration committee gave the best seats at the event to mega-donors like casino mogul Sheldon Adelson, real estate magnate Richard LeFrak and finance industry titan Carl Icahn. Other prime spots were given to friends and family of the president and Vice President Mike Pence.

Seating at Saturday morning’s church service at the National Cathedral also rewarded of donors. Four dozens of the spots in the pews went to Thomas J. Barrack, Jr., a little known billionaire who headed up the inauguration committee, which fundraised $100 million for the festivities.

Contact Daniel J. Solomon at [email protected] or on Twitter @DanielJSolomon

Daniel J. Solomon is the former Assistant to the Editor/News Writer at the Forward. Originally from Queens, he attended Harvard as an undergraduate, where he wrote his senior thesis on French-Jewish intellectual history. He is excited to have returned to New York after his time in Massachusetts. Daniel’s passions include folk music, cycling, and pointed argument.

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