Topline
Nearly 50 donors, including billionaires and future Cabinet members, gave a combined $14 million to President Donald Trump’s second transition team, according to a list of donors the team released this week, following criticism for keeping its donors under wraps—and the list shows many landed spots in the second Trump administration.
President Donald Trump shakes hands with Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick on October 28 in Tokyo, Japan.
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Key Facts
There were 46 donors who contributed to the transition effort, according to a copy of the list published by The New York Times, which reports the transition raised slightly more than $14 million and spent $13.7 million.
Among the biggest names on the list are billionaires Howard Lutnick and Linda McMahon, who co-chaired the transition effort and went on to be named Commerce Secretary and Secretary of Education, respectively.
Other billionaires who gave to Trump’s transition include Paul Singer, Jeff Yass and Steven Witkoff, who went on to be named Trump’s envoy to the Middle East.
A number of other donors have also since landed roles in the Trump administration, including attorney Stanley Woodward Jr., who’s now a high-ranking official at the Justice Department, and U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio Dominick Gerace II.
The transition team did not disclose how much each individual donor gave, but it did not sign an agreement with the General Services Administration that typically limits caps donations at $5,000 per person—meaning donors likely gave significantly larger amounts.
The transition team had previously been criticized for not signing that agreement, which would have required it to disclose donors’ names sooner in exchange for receiving federal funds and support with the transition.
Crucial Quote
“President Trump greatly appreciates his supporters and donors; however, unlike politicians of the past, he is not bought by anyone and does what’s in the best interest of the country,” transition spokesperson Danielle Alvarez told the Times. “Any suggestion otherwise is simply false.”