President-elect Donald Trump’s transition team is reportedly planning an interfaith prayer session the day before he assumes office that requires attendees to pay hefty sums of money to his inauguration committee in order to participate.
The cost of tickets to several of the inauguration events happening in the run-up to and on Inauguration Day — January 20, 2025 — was published by Axios earlier this month. According to their report, a religious-themed prayer event titled “One America, One Light Sunday Service” costs $100,000 for a pair of tickets, payable to Trump’s inauguration committee. Individuals who cannot pay that amount can still attend if they’re able to raise $200,000 in funds for the committee from other donors.
The event will feature a “morning interfaith service featuring our revered United States Military bands with President Donald J. Trump and Mrs. Melania Trump,” a graphic from Trump’s inauguration committee says.
The $1,000,000 inaugural donation allows for access to Trump, his cabinet, and JD Vance.
— PatriotTakes
This flyer also indicates Trump will be holding an inauguration rally on Saturday, January 18th. pic.twitter.com/ET5H63KKTg(@patriottakes) December 29, 2024
Critics are lambasting the ceremony as a “pay to pray” event, where participants are essentially paying huge sums of money to the inauguration committee to be close to Trump. These participants may use the financial exclusivity of the event to influence Trump, urging him to embrace a more Christian nationalist agenda, particularly for those who donate even higher sums to the committee’s coffers.
Inaugural committee funds are meant to finance events relating to the inauguration of a new president, except the inauguration itself and other small events that Congress appropriates funds for. The funds that are raised are subject to Federal Elections Commission (FEC) reporting standards, requiring a report to be submitted to that agency within 90 days of Inauguration Day.
This year’s inauguration committee is expected to raise more money than any other in U.S. history. The president-elect is also reportedly asking his allies how much money several different corporations have donated to his inauguration committee, signaling that he may give preferential treatment to companies that give more than others.
Trump’s first inauguration committee, from when he was sworn in as president in 2017, allegedly ran afoul of reporting and fundraising rules, with then-Attorney General of Washington, D.C. Karl Racine filing a lawsuit against Trump for using the funds to benefit himself, through his properties (where some events took place) overcharging his own inauguration committee.
“After he was elected, one of the first actions Donald Trump took was illegally using his own inauguration to enrich his family,” Racine said in 2022.
Trump’s company eventually settled the lawsuit out of court, agreeing to pay $750,000 directly to the district in exchange for not having to admit fault or guilt in the matter. According to a statement from Racine’s office at the time, the money that was collected went to nonprofit organizations that “promote civic engagement, democracy, and youth leadership.”
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