A handful of megadonors helped Donald Trump’s presidential campaign to victory earlier this month. Some of them are now in line for key positions as he shapes his next government.
For decades, top donors to winning presidential campaigns have been in the mix for top administration positions, ranging from plum ambassador gigs in tropical regions to Cabinet positions that directly shape White House policy.
And as Trump continues to fill out the upper echelons of his transition and administration, some major donors appear to be in the fray.
Linda McMahon, the former professional wrestling manager who headed Trump’s Small Business Administration in his first term and has led several pro-Trump outside groups, is helping to lead his transition. She donated more than $21 million to help Trump’s campaign this election cycle — more than $20 million to the Make America Great Again Inc. super PAC. and another $937,800 to his campaign and associated joint fundraising committees.
(These numbers are current as of Oct. 16, the period covered by the most recent federal campaign filings. New filings due in December will show the full picture of donations through Election Day.)
McMahon’s transition co-leader, Howard Lutnick, gave the Trump campaign and its affiliated committees more than $400,000, plus another $6 million to MAGA Inc. Trump announced on Tuesday that Lutnick is his choice to lead the Commerce Department.
Chris Wright, the CEO of Liberty Energy who would become Trump’s energy secretary, gave the campaign and its affiliated committees more than $235,000.
Two candidates reportedly in the mix for Treasury Secretary have something else in common: mega-donor status.
Scott Bessent, a top Trump fundraiser who two sources familiar with the process told NBC News is in the mix to lead the Treasury Department, has donated more than $1 million to MAGA Inc., and more $676,500 to Trump’s campaign and affiliated committees.
Marc Rowan, the billionaire CEO of Apollo Global Management, donated $1 million to Right for America, a pro-Trump super PAC. The Wall Street Journal reported this week that Trump advisers have discussed him as a possible option for the Treasury Department post.
Elon Musk, the Tesla CEO and billionaire tapped by Trump to co-lead an effort aimed at cutting federal spending, has spent heavily to help Trump come to power, mainly by setting up a super PAC, America PAC, which organized field organizations to boost Trump. The super PAC also ran a controversial program that gave away $1 million checks to voters who signed Musk’s petition. Through mid-October, Musk had given that group more than $118.5 million.
Ike Perlmutter, a billionaire who previously headed Marvel Entertainment and who advised Trump on veterans issues during the first administration, and his wife together sent Right for America $25 million through Oct. 16.
Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law who served as a senior adviser during his first term, donated more than $851,000 to the campaign and its associated committees. (His father, Charles Kushner, who was pardoned by Trump, gave the same amount, plus another $1.2 million to a pro-Trump super PAC).
Of course, not every major donor will end up in the Trump administration.
After Musk, two other megadonors crossed the $100 million mark in donations to pro-Trump groups: businessman Tim Mellon (who donated at least $150 million) and Miriam Adelson, the casino magnate who owns the Dallas Mavericks and is the wife of the late Republican Republicans. megadonor Sheldon Adelson. According to the most recent public figures, she gave almost $101 million.
This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
