A handful of mega-rich donors are turning out to be an important source of support for the Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump. Together they donated more than $50 million (46.64 million euros) to his election campaign against the Democratic incumbent Joe Biden to support.
With fewer small donations coming in and some major Republican donors turning away, the super-rich benefactors are particularly important to Trump. Below are the top five major donors, based on a Reuters analysis of Federal Election Commission data:
Timothy Mellon
The 81-year-old is the heir to the Pittsburgh resident Mellon banking family. He has donated at least $16.5 million to the pro-Trump Super Pac known as MAGA Inc. since 2022. Pac stands for “Political Action Committee”. These organizations collect donations. During the 2020 presidential election, Mellon donated at least $20 million to a Trump-aligned super pac called America First Action. The amateur pilot Mellon lives in Wyoming; there are hardly any photos of him. Forbes estimates the Mellon family’s fortune at around $14.1 billion.
Mellon is also the largest donor to the independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. supports. He provided at least $20 million to his super Pac American Values. Polls suggest Kennedy could take votes from both Biden and Trump in the November 5 election.
Mellon has also donated money to anti-immigrant measures – such as a fund to build a wall on the southern border with Mexico. Reuters was unable to reach Mellon through a publisher or a family foundation with which he was previously linked.
Isaac and Laura Perlmutter
Isaac “Ike” Perlmutter, the former chairman of Marvel Entertainment, and his wife Laura have donated more than $10 million to a new Trump super pac called Right for America. Perlmutter is a regular guest at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida. The Perlmutters have already donated at least $21 million to America First Action Inc. in 2020.
Last year, the entertainment company laid off employees Walt Disney Perlmutter as chairman of Marvel Entertainment as part of an austerity program. This smaller division within the company is responsible, among other things, for publishing comics.
Isaac “Ike” Perlmutter (center) with Reince Priebus (former White House head of state, left) and Donald Trump (right)
Israeli-born Perlmutter, who according to Forbes is 81 years old and whose fortune is around $4.4 billion, lives a very withdrawn life. He also rarely allows himself to be photographed. His wife Laura, who also keeps a low profile, is director of the Laura and Isaac Perlmutter Foundation. According to the company, this focuses on health care and community initiatives.
Isaac Perlmutter’s attorney, John Turitzin, said on the phone that he did not want to speak to the media and hung up.
Linda McMahon
The former wrestling entrepreneur is a long-time donor to Trump. She led the Small Business Administration in the Trump administration. She has donated more than $10 million to MAGA Inc. during the current election campaign. McMahon donated more than $15 million in 2019 and 2020 to America First Action, which she chaired before the 2020 election.
Linda McMahon mit Donald Trump
Until 2009, she ran World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) alongside her husband Vince McMahon, who bought the company from his father in the 1980s. Earlier this year, Vince McMahon resigned from wrestling giant TKO and the WWE subsidiary he founded. He had previously been accused of sexual assault and human trafficking in a court case. He denies the allegations. Forbes estimates his net worth at around $2.7 billion.
Linda McMahon, 75, ran unsuccessfully twice for a U.S. Senate seat in Connecticut. Today she is the chairwoman of the pro-Trump party America First Policy Institute in Washington. According to its own statements, this wants to advocate for “free enterprise, national greatness, American military superiority … and the primacy of American workers, families and communities.” The institute did not respond to requests for comment.
Robert Bigelow
The 79-year-old hotel magnate from Nevada has donated more than $9 million to MAGA Inc. this election campaign. Bigelow told Reuters in January that he had pledged a total of $20 million to the pro-Trump group. Bigelow, who has a fascination with UFOs and space and funds various research projects, has already had dinner with Trump at Mar-a-Lago. He said he donated $1 million to Trump’s judicial affairs fund. In 2011, Forbes estimated the value of Bigelow’s real estate holdings at around $700 million.
Patricia Duggan
The major donor of the controversial Scientology-Kirche MAGA Inc. has donated more than $5 million this election cycle. Her ex-husband, Robert Duggan, is an investor and entrepreneur whose fortune increased significantly with the sale of cancer drug maker Pharmacyclics to AbbVie in 2015 for $21 billion. Forbes estimates his net worth at about $3.3 billion.
The Duggans, who are at the University of California in Santa Barbara met and have eight children, divorced in 2017. They each donated at least $4 million to America First Action in 2020. Patricia Duggan’s personal website describes her as an artist with a passion for glass art. She lives in Clearwater, Florida. She did not respond to a request for comment.
