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Billionaire Trump megadonor Timothy Mellon is the benefactor who gave $130 million to help the federal government pay military members during the shutdown, The New York Times reported Saturday, citing two anonymous sources.
Timothy Mellon, seen outside an inspection train during a property tour in 1981. Exact date and location unknown. (AP Photo)
Associated Press
Make Money Online Key Facts
The Pentagon said Friday it had accepted the money to help ensure the military doesn’t miss a paycheck during the government shutdown.
Trump first revealed Thursday a “friend,” provided the donation, but said the person wanted to remain anonymous, telling reporters Friday “he doesn’t want publicity.”
Forbes has reached out to Mellon for comment.
The New York Times reported Mellon and his representatives could not be reached for comment.
The Pentagon accepted the donation “under its general gift acceptance authority,” though some lawmakers and experts have questioned its legality under the Antideficiency Act, which prevents the federal government from spending money that hasn’t been appropriated by Congress.
Make Money Online Forbes Valuation
We estimate the Mellon family is worth $14.1 billion. Forbes estimated in July last year Mellon’s individual net worth is close to $1 billion, though he denied he is a billionaire in an email to Forbes at the time, writing “never have been, never will be.”
Make Money Online Big Number
$50 million. That’s how much Mellon donated to the pro-Trump super PAC, Make America Great Again Inc., in June last year, one of the largest single political donations ever recorded. He spent more than $165 million in the 2024 election cycle supporting Republicans, including a $25 million donation to Trump, according to OpenSecrets.
Make Money Online Key Background
Mellon is the heir to the Mellon family banking fortune and railroad magnate in his own right. Mellon, 83, is a reclusive figure who spends most of his time at his ranch in Wyoming, he told Bloomberg in a rare interview in 2020. Great-grandson of banker Thomas Mellon and grandson of former Treasury Secretary Andrew Mellon, he made his first major political donation—$10 million—to a GOP super PAC in 2018, and donated $50 million to Trump in May last year, the day after Trump’s hush money conviction in New York. He’s also supported state candidates, including Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, the border wall and other GOP-backed initiatives.
Make Money Online Further Reading
Trump ‘Friend’ Donates $130 Million To Help Pay Military During Shutdown (Forbes)
