Despite lawsuits

These “big donors” continue to pay Trump millions

(Bild: AFP, Reuters, imaginemuseum.com, twitter.com, Yeshiva University Krone KREATIV,)

Countless court cases, scandalous statements and embarrassing appearances - Donald Trump and his renewed run for the White House are making headlines around the world. Many supporters have now turned their backs on him and even his own party is struggling with the ex-president's highly likely candidacy. But a handful of mega-rich donors are turning out to be an important source of help for Donald Trump. 

Together, these "big donors" have already donated more than 50 million dollars (46.64 million euros) to support Trump's election campaign against Democratic incumbent Joe Biden.

Super-rich donors important for Trump
As fewer small donations are coming in and some major Republican donors have turned their backs, the super-rich benefactors are particularly important for 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-based Mellon banking family. He has donated at least 16.5 million dollars 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 dollars to a pro-Trump Super Pac called America First Action. An amateur pilot, Mellon lives in Wyoming and there are hardly any photos of him. Forbes estimates the Mellon family's fortune at around 14.1 billion dollars.

Mellon is also the largest donor supporting independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. He has donated at least 20 million dollars to his Super-Pac American Values. According to polls, Kennedy could take votes away from both Biden and Trump in the election on November 5.

Timothy Mellon, heir to a banking dynasty (small picture), is also the largest donor to Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

(Bild: AFP/AFP, twitter.com)

Mellon has also donated money to anti-immigration 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 associated.

Isaac and Laura Perlmutter
Isaac "Ike" Perlmutter, the former chairman of Marvel Entertainment, has donated more than ten million dollars with his wife Laura 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 dollars to America First Action Inc. in 2020.

Isaac Perlmutter is one of Trump's most important supporters.

(Bild: REUTERS/Reuters)

Last year, the entertainment company Walt Disney dismissed Perlmutter as Chairman of Marvel Entertainment as part of a cost-cutting program. This smaller division within the company is responsible for publishing comics, among other things.

Born in Israel, Perlmutter, who according to Forbes is 81 years old and has a fortune of around 4.4 billion dollars, lives a very reclusive life. He is also rarely photographed. His wife Laura, who also keeps a low profile, is the director of the Laura and Isaac Perlmutter Foundation. According to the foundation, it focuses on healthcare and community initiatives.

Isaac Perlmutter's lawyer, 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 longtime donor to Trump. She headed the Small Business Administration in the Trump administration. She has donated more than ten million dollars to MAGA Inc. during the current election campaign. In 2019 and 2020, McMahon donated more than 15 million dollars to America First Action, which she chaired before the 2020 election.

Donald Trump and Linda McMahon

(Bild: AFP)

Until 2009, she ran World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) together with her husband Vince McMahon, who had bought the company from his father in the 1980s. Earlier this year, Vince McMahon resigned from wrestling giant TKO and the subsidiary he founded, WWE. 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 dollars.

75-year-old Linda McMahon ran unsuccessfully twice for a seat in the US Senate in Connecticut. She is now chairwoman of the Trump-friendly America First Policy Institute in Washington. According to its own statements, this aims to promote "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 Nevada hotel magnate has donated more than nine million dollars to MAGA Inc. this election cycle. Bigelow told Reuters in January that he had pledged a total of 20 million dollars to the pro-Trump group. Bigelow, who has a fascination with UFOs and space and funds various research projects, has already dined with Trump at Mar-a-Lago. He has reportedly donated one million dollars to Trump's Justice Fund. In 2011, Forbes estimated the value of Bigelow's real estate holdings at around 700 million dollars.

Robert Bigelow

(Bild: REUTERS)

Patricia Duggan
The major donor to the controversial Church of Scientology has donated more than five million dollars to MAGA Inc. this election cycle. Her ex-husband Robert Duggan is an investor and entrepreneur whose fortune has grown considerably with the sale of cancer drug maker Pharmacyclics to AbbVie in 2015 for $21 billion. Forbes estimates his net worth at around 3.3 billion dollars.

Patricia Duggan is also a major donor to Scientology.

(Bild: imaginemuseum.com)

The Duggans, who met at the University of California in Santa Barbara and have eight children, divorced in 2017. They each donated at least four million dollars 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.