Billionaire backer of President Donald Trump, Timothy Mellon, is reportedly the mysterious donor who made a $130 million mega-donation earlier this week to help pay U.S. troops during the government shutdown.
Trump announced the donation Thursday, but declined to name the donor, calling him a “patriot” and friend. A day later, he referred to the donor on Air Force One as “a great American citizen” and a “substantial man.” The Department of War accepted the gift under “general gift acceptance authority.”
“The donation was made on the condition that it be used to offset the cost of service members’ salaries and benefits,” the Pentagon’s Chief Spokesperson Sean Parnell said in a statement.
ANONYMOUS DONOR GAVE $130 MILLION TO PAY TROOPS, BUT CONGRESS MAY NEED TO CUT THE CHECK TO SOLDIERS
This would not be Mellon’s first major donation involving the president. Mellon, a wealthy banking heir and railroad magnate, donated $125 million to the super PAC Make America Great Again, Inc. in the 2024 election cycle. In total for the 2024 cycle, the longtime GOP donor donated $165 million, including both congressional candidates and Robert F. Kennedy Jr., according to OpenSecrets.
The $130 million, donated during the government shutdown, is a small fraction of the roughly $7.5 billion the Pentagon pays every two weeks for soldiers’ salaries, covering less than a day’s wages.
The donation came after Trump diverted money earlier this month to pay the 1.3 million active service members who were at risk of missing a paycheck, a move that was backed by congressional Republicans as many started to get uncomfortable with the looming halt in pay for the military.
The Anti-Deficiency Act might prevent the total from being accepted, as a gridlocked Congress may have to be the ones to appropriate the funds.
“He doesn’t want publicity,” Mr. Trump said as he headed for his tour of Asia. “He prefer that his name not be mentioned, which is pretty unusual in the world I come from, and in the world of politics, you want your name mentioned.”
The 82-year-old billionaire rarely speaks to the press, but made an appearance in 2020 where he told Bloomberg he believed Trump had delivered on what he’d said on the stump. Mellon primarily lives in Wyoming.
“He’s done the things he promised to, or tried to do the things he’s promised to… in trade and righting the balance between our country and the rest of the world, especially China,” Mellon said.
Mellon did not become a prominent donor until Trump came into the political sphere, although his grandfather was former Treasury Secretary Andrew Mellon.
Other names have been floated when it comes to guessing which mega-donor gave the funds. Forbes listed billionaires Stephen Feinberg, Isaac Perlmutter, and Vincent Viola among possible donors.
As the shutdown rages on, the House has remained out of session for the entirety of the shutdown in an effort to add pressure on the Senate to pass the short-term funding resolution.
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Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) has continuously aimed to keep enough of his Democratic caucus in line to force Republicans to strike a deal that meets Democratic demands on healthcare. So far, only Sen. Angus King (I-ME) and two Democrats have backed the GOP plan.
The Washington Examiner reached out to the White House and Mellon Foundation for comment.
