Ilitch School in the Media: December 22 to December 29

$1M carmaker gifts for Trump, not Biden—with Marick Masters 

Ford Motor Co., General Motors and Toyota have joined Boeing, Apple and Meta (Facebook, Instagram, Threads, WhatsApp) with commitments of seven-figure contributions in support of President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration, earning praise from auto industry analysts who say the dynamic landscape requires such action.

“Very smart move for GM and Ford and Toyota to donate to the Trump inauguration,” said longtime industry observer John McElroy, host of “Autoline After Hours.”

“The president is a very transactional person. You do something nice for him, he’ll do something nice for you,” he told me. “So why not start out the new administration on the right foot?”