A handful of megadonors helped to power Donald Trump’s presidential campaign to victory earlier this month. Now, some of them are under consideration for major positions as he shapes his next administration.
For decades, top donors to winning presidential campaigns have been in the mix for top administrative slots, ranging from plum ambassador gigs in tropical locales to Cabinet positions directly shaping White House policies.
And now, as Trump continues to fill out the upper echelons of his transition and administration, some key donors appear to be in the fray.
Linda McMahon, the former professional wrestling executive who led Trump’s Small Business Administration in his first term and has served in a leadership capacity at a variety of 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 affiliated joint fundraising committees.
(These figures are current as of Oct. 16, the period covered by the most recent federal campaign filings cover. New documents due to be filed in December will show the full picture of donations through Election Day.)
McMahon’s co-lead on the transition, Howard Lutnick, gave Trump’s campaign and affiliated committees more than $400,000, plus another $6 million to MAGA Inc. Trump announced Tuesday that Lutnick is his pick to run the Commerce Department.
Chris Wright, the Liberty Energy CEO tapped to be Trump’s energy secretary, gave the campaign and affiliated committees more than $235,000.
Two candidates reportedly in the mix for treasury secretary have another thing in common — megadonor status.
Scott Bessent, a top Trump fundraiser who two sources familiar with the process told NBC News has been in the mix to lead the Treasury Department, donated more than $1 million to MAGA Inc., and another $676,500 to Trump’s campaign and affiliated committees.
Marc Rowan, the billionaire CEO of Apollo Global Management, gave $1 million to Right for Americaa pro-Trump super PAC. The Wall Street Journal reported this week that Trump advisers have discussed him as a possible option for the Treasury post.
Elon Musk, the Tesla CEO and billionaire whom Trump tapped to co-lead effort aimed at slashing federal spendingspent handsomely to help Trump get into office, primarily by seeding a super PAC, America PAC, which ran field organizing to boost Trump. The super PAC also ran a controversial program that gave away $1 million checks to swing-state voters who signed Musk’s petition. Through mid-October, Musk had given the group more than $118.5 million.
Ike Perlmutter, a billionaire who previously helmed Marvel Entertainment and who advised Trump on veterans issues during the first administration, and his wife combined to send Right for America $25 million through Oct. 16.
Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law who served as his senior adviser during his first term, gave the campaign and affiliated committees more than $851,000. (His father, Charles Kushner, who was pardoned by Trumpgave that same amount, plus another $1.2 million to a pro-Trump super PAC).
Of course, far from every big donor will end up in the Trump administration.
After Musk, two other megadonors eclipsed the $100 million mark in donations to pro-Trump groups: businessman Tim Mellon (who gave at least $150 million) and Miriam Adelson, the casino magnate who owns the Dallas Mavericks and is the wife of the late GOP megadonor Sheldon Adelson. She gave almost $101 million, according to the most recent public figures.
Hallie Jackson and Garrett Haake contributed.