Brazilian meat giant JBS was largest donor to Trump’s inauguration
Washington D.C.— A recent Federal Election Commission filing revealed that JBS subsidiary Pilgrim’s Pride, the second-largest poultry processor in the U.S., donated $5 million to President Trump’s Inaugural Committee. This contribution far exceeds the $1 million given by major corporations like Meta and Amazon.
Trump’s own SEC and the Department of Justice fined JBS and its owners more than $250 million in 2020 during his first term for a massive bribery scheme involving Pilgrim’s Pride.
Glenn Hurowitz, Founder and CEO at Mighty Earth said:
“A $5 million donation from JBS subsidiary Pilgrim’s Pride was a blatant attempt to buy political favor and seek approval for critical regulatory decisions, including JBS’s ongoing push to list on the New York Stock Exchange.
“The amount was five times what tech giants contributed, underscoring JBS’s aggressive strategy to gain influence over the Trump administration and avoid accountability.”
“This kind of backdoor political spending erodes public trust and carries serious consequences. With the SEC expected to rule on JBS’s bid to list on the New York Stock Exchange, it’s critical that regulators recognize the full scope of the company’s long rap sheet of ethical misconduct and the implications it bears for investors.”
Mighty Earth and allies have filed a series of complaints with the SEC highlighting JBS’s serious governance issues and misreporting of deforestation data. Meanwhile, cattle ranchers have also blasted the company for monopolistic practices that could also imperil its listing. JBS is one of the rare companies that has managed to unite cowboys and conservationists in opposition.
We hope that the SEC Commissioner Paul Atkins will review the evidence and ensure that JBS has actually addressed its corruption, monopoly, and other serious issues before exposing US investors to what can only be deemed as an unacceptable risk.
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For more information or to arrange an interview please contact:
Sydney Jones, Press Secretary (based in Washington D.C.)
+1 561 809 5522
Global Director of Communications (based London)
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Notes to editors:
- The donation has raised new concerns in light of JBS’s extensive legal troubles in the U.S. In 2020, during the first Trump administration, U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and Department of Justice fined JBS, its parent company J&F Investimentos, and company owners Joesley and Wesley Batista for violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA). The SEC criticized the Batistas’ conduct as a “profound failure” of corporate governance, citing a multi-year bribery scheme to fund JBS’s U.S. expansion and continued unethical conduct while holding senior board positions at Pilgrim’s Pride. Concerns about accountability have only deepened since the White House announced In February 2025 that it would suspend enforcement of the FCPA.
- For more than a year and a half, Mighty Earth with other environmental groups, animal welfare organizations, US, EU & UK lawmakers and investors have repeatedly called on the SEC to block JBS from entering the world’s largest stock market. In total, Mighty Earth has made five submissions to the SEC challenging JBS’s IPO registration statement.
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