Apr.30

electoral-vote.com

Dem 51

   

GOP 49

Who Are Trump's Megadonors?

Donald Trump's small donors are being squeezed dry. Many will give their last dollar to him if need be, but some of them have apparently already done this so the well is running dry. Consequently, Trump is depending more and more on huge megadonors to take up the slack. Who are these folks, anyway? Here are some of the whales:

• Timothy Mellon: The 81-year-old reclusive heir to the Pittsburgh Mellon banking family has given MAGA Inc. at least $16.5 million since 2022. He also gave $20 million to a pro-Trump super PAC called America First Action during the 2020 cycle. The Mellon family is worth $14 billion. Mellon has also given a super PAC supporting Robert F. Kennedy Jr. at least $20 million. Clearly he is expecting Kennedy to hurt Biden more than he hurts Trump. In addition, Mellon has donated to many anti-immigrant measures, including a private effort to build a wall on the Mexican border.
  
  
• Isaac and Laura Perlmutter: Isaac, 81, is the former chairman of Marvel Entertainment. He has already given $10 million to a pro-Trump super PAC Right for America. He is a regular at Mar-a-Lago. In 2020, he gave $21 million to America First Action. Like Mellon, he is extremely low profile and rarely photographed or interviewed. When Reuters reached Perlmutter's lawyer to ask some questions, the lawyer hung up.
  
  
• Linda McMahon: Along with her husband, accused sex trafficker Vince, McMahon ran World Wrestling Entertainment until 2009. She has given $10 million to MAGA Inc. this cycle and gave $15 million to America First Action in 2019 and 2020. She lives in Connecticut and ran for the Senate in 2010 and again in 2012. She lost both times. As a consolation prize, Trump appointed her administrator of the Small Business Administration. She is 75 and the McMahons have a net worth of $2.7 billion.
  
  
• Robert Bigelow: He was a big supporter of Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) this cycle until he stopped being a supporter and cut off DeSantis. Since then, he has given $9 million to MAGA Inc. this cycle. He has also helped pay Trump's legal bills. He is fascinated by UFOs and has dined with Trump at Mar-a-Lago. His background is in the hotel industry. He is worth about $700 million.
  
  
• Patricia Duggan: She got her money from her ex-husband, Robert Duggan, who sold his pharmaceutical company to AbbVie in 2015 for $21 billion. His net worth is about $3.3 billion. Patricia and Robert have eight children. Both Patricia and Robert gave America First Action at least $4 million in 2020. She is also a major donor to the Church of Scientology.
  

These are just a few of the big donors known so far. Trump is actively working on recruiting more of them, something he didn't do in 2020. (V)