SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
Blackstone CEO Steve Schwarzman. (Photo: Jim Watson/AFP/Getty Images)
Trump's Top Ten Billionaire Enablers
Trump didn’t get here on his own. Many have enabled him, especially the billionaires who funneled money his way and then stood by as he damaged our democracy.
Jan 10, 2021
We've heard plenty about the GOP members of Congress and Trump political appointees who have "enabled" Donald Trump over these four years, failing to act to stem his excesses.
But what about the billionaire donors to Trump's campaign and his victory PACs? Especially those who gave substantial donations in 2019 and 2020, when it was clear that Trump was causing a crisis in our democracy?
Unlike those who gave to the 2016 campaign but distanced themselves from Trump after seeing him in action, will there be any accountability for these most recent billionaire enablers of Donald Trump who saw what damage he caused-but still stood by him?
These are the billionaires who already received their whopping individual and corporate tax cuts in 2017. Yet, empowered with their money, continued to contribute to Trump for four more years.
Watch for our forthcoming IPS report and reporting on "Trump's Billionaire Enablers." But here are a few initial findings:
The Institute for Policy Studies identified 63 U.S. billionaires who gave a combined $33 million to the Trump Victory Fund in the last two years. Trump Victory was a joint fundraising account for the Trump 2020 campaign and the Republican National Committee.
As of January 8th, these billionaires together have wealth of $243.7 billion dollars (using estimates from Wealth-X and Forbes).
Top Ten Billionaire Enablers. The top ten billionaire donors to the Trump Victory Fund are:
- Gas pipeline magnate Kelcy Lee Warren, worth $2.9 billion, gave eight donations totaling $2,248,906.
- Retired CEO of Marvel Entertainment, Isaac Perlmutter, is worth $5.8 billion and donated $1,871,200.
- Telecommunications mogul Kenny Troutt, worth $1.5 billion, donated $1,849,000.
- Biotech investor Robert Duggan, worth $2.6 billion, donated $1,638,200 to the Trump Victory Fund. In the final days of the campaign, Duggan gave $4.6 million to various Trump campaign groups, according to Forbes.
- Casino magnate Steve Wynn, worth $3 billion, contributed over $1,523,500.
- Another casino owner, Phillip Gene Ruffin, worth $2.3 billion, donated $1,375,000.
- Owner of ABC Supply, the giant home supplier, Diane Hendricks $8 billion (Forbes), donated $1,175,000.
- Casino megadonor Sheldon Adelson, and his wife Miriam Adelson, worth over $35.9 billion (Forbes), contributed $1.16 million, along with massive donations to other Republican PACs and candidates.
- Texas Banker Daniel Andrew Beal, worth $7.5 billion, gave $1,161,200.
- Software entrepreneur David Duffield, worth $13.3 billion, donated $1,151,600.
Other notable billionaires to the Trump Victory Fund include:
- Blackstone CEO Stephen Schwarzman, worth $20.9 billion, who gave $355,000.
- Johnson & Johnson heir Robert Wood Johnson IV, worth $2.5 billion, contributed $575,000.
- Hedge fund manager John Paulson, worth $4.2 billion, donated $831,372.
- Heir to the cosmetic fortune, Ronald Steven Lauder, worth $5.2 billion, gave $100,000.
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, The U.S. is on a fast track to authoritarianism like nothing I've ever seen. Meanwhile, corporate news outlets are utterly capitulating to Trump, twisting their coverage to avoid drawing his ire while lining up to stuff cash in his pockets. That's why I believe that Common Dreams is doing the best and most consequential reporting that we've ever done. Our small but mighty team is a progressive reporting powerhouse, covering the news every day that the corporate media never will. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. And to ignite change for the common good. Now here's the key piece that I want all our readers to understand: None of this would be possible without your financial support. That's not just some fundraising cliche. It's the absolute and literal truth. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. Will you donate now to help power the nonprofit, independent reporting of Common Dreams? Thank you for being a vital member of our community. Together, we can keep independent journalism alive when it’s needed most. - Craig Brown, Co-founder |
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 License.
Chuck Collins
Chuck Collins is a senior scholar at the Institute for Policy Studies where he co-edits Inequality.org. His near future novel "Altar to An Erupting Sun” explores one community’s response to climate disruption. He is author of numerous books and reports on inequality and the racial wealth divide, including “The Wealth Hoarders: How Billionaires Spend Millions to Hide Trillions,” “Born on Third Base,” and, with Bill Gates Sr., of “Wealth and Our Commonwealth: Why American Should Tax Accumulated Fortunes.” See more of his writing at www.chuckcollinswrites.com
Omar Ocampo
Omar Ocampo is a researcher for the Program on Inequality and the Common Good. He graduated from the University ofMassachusetts Boston with a B.A. in Political Science and holds a Masters in International Relations from the American University in Cairo. His thesis focused on the politics of international oil and humanitarian intervention in Libya.
campaign financecorporate personhooddemocracyinequalityjan 6 insurrectionpoliticsrepublican partytrumpismwall street
We've heard plenty about the GOP members of Congress and Trump political appointees who have "enabled" Donald Trump over these four years, failing to act to stem his excesses.
But what about the billionaire donors to Trump's campaign and his victory PACs? Especially those who gave substantial donations in 2019 and 2020, when it was clear that Trump was causing a crisis in our democracy?
Unlike those who gave to the 2016 campaign but distanced themselves from Trump after seeing him in action, will there be any accountability for these most recent billionaire enablers of Donald Trump who saw what damage he caused-but still stood by him?
These are the billionaires who already received their whopping individual and corporate tax cuts in 2017. Yet, empowered with their money, continued to contribute to Trump for four more years.
Watch for our forthcoming IPS report and reporting on "Trump's Billionaire Enablers." But here are a few initial findings:
The Institute for Policy Studies identified 63 U.S. billionaires who gave a combined $33 million to the Trump Victory Fund in the last two years. Trump Victory was a joint fundraising account for the Trump 2020 campaign and the Republican National Committee.
As of January 8th, these billionaires together have wealth of $243.7 billion dollars (using estimates from Wealth-X and Forbes).
Top Ten Billionaire Enablers. The top ten billionaire donors to the Trump Victory Fund are:
- Gas pipeline magnate Kelcy Lee Warren, worth $2.9 billion, gave eight donations totaling $2,248,906.
- Retired CEO of Marvel Entertainment, Isaac Perlmutter, is worth $5.8 billion and donated $1,871,200.
- Telecommunications mogul Kenny Troutt, worth $1.5 billion, donated $1,849,000.
- Biotech investor Robert Duggan, worth $2.6 billion, donated $1,638,200 to the Trump Victory Fund. In the final days of the campaign, Duggan gave $4.6 million to various Trump campaign groups, according to Forbes.
- Casino magnate Steve Wynn, worth $3 billion, contributed over $1,523,500.
- Another casino owner, Phillip Gene Ruffin, worth $2.3 billion, donated $1,375,000.
- Owner of ABC Supply, the giant home supplier, Diane Hendricks $8 billion (Forbes), donated $1,175,000.
- Casino megadonor Sheldon Adelson, and his wife Miriam Adelson, worth over $35.9 billion (Forbes), contributed $1.16 million, along with massive donations to other Republican PACs and candidates.
- Texas Banker Daniel Andrew Beal, worth $7.5 billion, gave $1,161,200.
- Software entrepreneur David Duffield, worth $13.3 billion, donated $1,151,600.
Other notable billionaires to the Trump Victory Fund include:
- Blackstone CEO Stephen Schwarzman, worth $20.9 billion, who gave $355,000.
- Johnson & Johnson heir Robert Wood Johnson IV, worth $2.5 billion, contributed $575,000.
- Hedge fund manager John Paulson, worth $4.2 billion, donated $831,372.
- Heir to the cosmetic fortune, Ronald Steven Lauder, worth $5.2 billion, gave $100,000.
Chuck Collins
Chuck Collins is a senior scholar at the Institute for Policy Studies where he co-edits Inequality.org. His near future novel "Altar to An Erupting Sun” explores one community’s response to climate disruption. He is author of numerous books and reports on inequality and the racial wealth divide, including “The Wealth Hoarders: How Billionaires Spend Millions to Hide Trillions,” “Born on Third Base,” and, with Bill Gates Sr., of “Wealth and Our Commonwealth: Why American Should Tax Accumulated Fortunes.” See more of his writing at www.chuckcollinswrites.com
Omar Ocampo
Omar Ocampo is a researcher for the Program on Inequality and the Common Good. He graduated from the University ofMassachusetts Boston with a B.A. in Political Science and holds a Masters in International Relations from the American University in Cairo. His thesis focused on the politics of international oil and humanitarian intervention in Libya.
We've heard plenty about the GOP members of Congress and Trump political appointees who have "enabled" Donald Trump over these four years, failing to act to stem his excesses.
But what about the billionaire donors to Trump's campaign and his victory PACs? Especially those who gave substantial donations in 2019 and 2020, when it was clear that Trump was causing a crisis in our democracy?
Unlike those who gave to the 2016 campaign but distanced themselves from Trump after seeing him in action, will there be any accountability for these most recent billionaire enablers of Donald Trump who saw what damage he caused-but still stood by him?
These are the billionaires who already received their whopping individual and corporate tax cuts in 2017. Yet, empowered with their money, continued to contribute to Trump for four more years.
Watch for our forthcoming IPS report and reporting on "Trump's Billionaire Enablers." But here are a few initial findings:
The Institute for Policy Studies identified 63 U.S. billionaires who gave a combined $33 million to the Trump Victory Fund in the last two years. Trump Victory was a joint fundraising account for the Trump 2020 campaign and the Republican National Committee.
As of January 8th, these billionaires together have wealth of $243.7 billion dollars (using estimates from Wealth-X and Forbes).
Top Ten Billionaire Enablers. The top ten billionaire donors to the Trump Victory Fund are:
- Gas pipeline magnate Kelcy Lee Warren, worth $2.9 billion, gave eight donations totaling $2,248,906.
- Retired CEO of Marvel Entertainment, Isaac Perlmutter, is worth $5.8 billion and donated $1,871,200.
- Telecommunications mogul Kenny Troutt, worth $1.5 billion, donated $1,849,000.
- Biotech investor Robert Duggan, worth $2.6 billion, donated $1,638,200 to the Trump Victory Fund. In the final days of the campaign, Duggan gave $4.6 million to various Trump campaign groups, according to Forbes.
- Casino magnate Steve Wynn, worth $3 billion, contributed over $1,523,500.
- Another casino owner, Phillip Gene Ruffin, worth $2.3 billion, donated $1,375,000.
- Owner of ABC Supply, the giant home supplier, Diane Hendricks $8 billion (Forbes), donated $1,175,000.
- Casino megadonor Sheldon Adelson, and his wife Miriam Adelson, worth over $35.9 billion (Forbes), contributed $1.16 million, along with massive donations to other Republican PACs and candidates.
- Texas Banker Daniel Andrew Beal, worth $7.5 billion, gave $1,161,200.
- Software entrepreneur David Duffield, worth $13.3 billion, donated $1,151,600.
Other notable billionaires to the Trump Victory Fund include:
- Blackstone CEO Stephen Schwarzman, worth $20.9 billion, who gave $355,000.
- Johnson & Johnson heir Robert Wood Johnson IV, worth $2.5 billion, contributed $575,000.
- Hedge fund manager John Paulson, worth $4.2 billion, donated $831,372.
- Heir to the cosmetic fortune, Ronald Steven Lauder, worth $5.2 billion, gave $100,000.
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.