UPDATE: This story was updated on Dec. 6, 2024, to include the final campaign finance report that covered the last few weeks of the presidential race.
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 Trump’s pick to lead the Education Department. McMahon, who is also helping to lead Trump’s transition, 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.
Chris Wright, the Liberty Energy CEO tapped to be Trump’s energy secretary, gave the campaign and affiliated committees more than $235,000.
Scott Bessent, a top Trump fundraiser chosen by Trump to lead the Treasury Department, donated more than $1 million to MAGA Inc., and another $676,500 to Trump’s campaign and affiliated committees.
Elon Musk, the Tesla CEO and billionaire whom Trump tapped to co-lead an effort aimed at slashing federal spending, spent 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. Musk gave more than a quarter of a billion dollars to groups supporting Trump’s election, primarily America PAC, including a $924,600 check to one of Trump’s joint fundraising committees in late October.
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 Trump and is expected to be nominated to be the ambassador to France, gave that same amount, plus another $1.2 million to a pro-Trump super PAC.
Former Sen. Kelly Loeffler, the Georgia Republican who has long been a major GOP donor, is being tapped as Trump’s small business administrator, pending Senate approval. She donated almost $2 million to the pro-Trump outside efforts.
Warren Stephens, a longtime GOP donor who gave to Trump’s primary opponents before giving $3 million to MAGA Inc., was announced as Trump’s pick to be ambassador to the United Kingdom.
And Trump announced this week that David Sacks, the venture capitalist who gave six-figures to Trump’s joint fundraising operation, will be named his “White House A.I. & Crypto Czar.”
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 about $106 million, according to the most recent public figures.
