This is the third installment of a four-part series exploring the money billionaires poured into the 2020 election. Part 1. Part 2. Part 4.
Donald Trump never donated to his own reelection campaign, but he did find plenty of other billionaires willing to write him checks. In total, Forbes identified 133 superrich donors who pitched in for Trump’s 2020 campaign.
Trump’s tycoons, who collectively make up about 14% of all American billionaires, tend to fall into a few specific categories. Several were longtime Republican mega-donors, like gambling mogul Sheldon Adelson, who died in January, and his wife, Miriam. Others knew Trump from their days in business, including Texas banker Andy Beal and casino king Phil Ruffin. About one quarter of them made their money in finance and investments, more than any other industry. About 10% got rich in real estate, while roughly the same number earned a fortune from the energy sector. Most of them came from three states: New York (19%), Texas (19%) and Florida (13%).
How Donald Trump’s Donors Got Rich
Forbes found 133 billionaires or spouses of billionaires who donated to Trump’s campaign ahead of the 2020 election. They built their fortunes in 17 industries.
Sources: Federal Election Commission filings; Forbes Real-Time Billionaires list.
Some clearly benefited from having a friend in the White House. Miriam Adelson received the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Kelcy Warren, chief executive of Energy Transfer Partners, got clearance for his Dakota Access Pipeline, as well as a seat on the board of trustees at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. Harold Hamm, the oil baron, became an informal advisor. Linda McMahon, who is married to WWE Chief Executive Vince McMahon, accepted a role as head of the Small Business Administration, before moving on to chair a pro-Trump super-PAC named America First Action.
On average, the donors contributed about $285,000 to the Trump campaign and its joint-fundraising committees, which split their hauls with the Republican Party. About 9% of Trump’s billionaire donors, however, gave less than $5,000. At least 19 also donated to pro-Trump super-PACs. Unlike other types of political committees, super-PACs can accept unlimited amounts of money. The Adelsons, for instance, gave $90 million to a pro-Trump super-PAC called Preserve America. Marvel Entertainment billionaire Isaac Perlmutter and his wife, Laura, gave $21 million to America First. Kelcy Warren donated $10 million to the same group.
Here’s the complete list of every billionaire Forbes found who put money into Trump’s reelection campaign, either directly or through their spouse. The donors are grouped by their industries and sorted by the amount of money they donated.
You can explore this in more depth at our interactive donor tool. Find out more about Joe Biden’s billionaire donors here.
AUTOMOTIVE
- Net worth:$1.8 billion
- Source of wealth: Damaged cars
- Contributions: $700,000
- Net worth:$1.1 billion
- Source of wealth: Damaged cars
- Contributions: $200,000
Roger Penske
- Net worth:$1.9 billion
- Source of wealth: Cars
- Contributions: $45,000
E. Joe Shoen
- Net worth:$3.1 billion
- Source of wealth: U-Haul
- Contributions: $35,500
Trevor Milton
- Net worth:$2.1 billion
- Source of wealth: Electric vehicles (Nikola)
- Contributions: $1,000
CONSTRUCTION & ENGINEERING
Diane Hendricks
- Net worth:$8 billion
- Source of wealth: Roofing
- Contributions: $1.1 million
DIVERSIFIED
Phil Ruffin & Oleksandra Nikolayenko
- Net worth:$2.3 billion
- Source of wealth: Casinos, real estate
- Contributions: $1.5 million
Billy Joe “Red” McCombs
- Net worth:$1.5 billion
- Source of wealth: Real estate, oil, cars, sports
- Contributions: $40,000
Thomas Duff
- Net worth:$1.4 billion
- Source of wealth: Tires, diversified
- Contributions: $1,800
ENERGY
- Net worth:$2.9 billion
- Source of wealth: Pipelines
- Contributions: $1.8 million
- Net worth:$3.7 billion
- Source of wealth: Oil
- Contributions: $1.2 million
- Net worth:$2.8 billion
- Source of wealth: Oil, real estate
- Contributions: $515,000
Harold Hamm
- Net worth:$6.9 billion
- Source of wealth: Oil & gas
- Contributions: $320,000
- Net worth:$1.2 billion
- Source of wealth: Natural gas
- Contributions: $250,350
George Bishop
- Net worth:$2 billion
- Source of wealth: Oil & gas
- Contributions: $250,000
Jim Justice
- Net worth:$1.2 billion
- Source of wealth: Coal
- Contributions: $200,000
Dan Wilks
- Net worth:$1.1 billion
- Source of wealth: Natural gas
- Contributions: $50,000
Bridget Koch, wife of William Koch
- Net worth:$1.5 billion
- Source of wealth:Oil, investments
- Contributions: $25,000
FASHION & RETAIL
- Net worth:$7.8 billion
- Source of wealth: Home Depot
- Contributions: $731,200
Ronald Lauder
- Net worth:$5.4 billion
- Source of wealth: Estėe Lauder
- Contributions: $200,000
John Morris
- Net worth:$4.1 billion
- Source of wealth: Sporting goods retail (Bass Pro)
- Contributions: $200,000
Drayton McLane Jr.
- Net worth:$2.9 billion
- Source of wealth: Walmart, logistics
- Contributions: $61,200
Richard Schulze
- Net worth:$5 billion
- Source of wealth: Best Buy
- Contributions to Trump: $2,700
FINANCE & INVESTMENTS
- Net worth:$3.5 billion
- Source of wealth: TD Ameritrade
- Contributions: $2.2 million
Andrew Beal
- Net worth:$7.6 billion
- Source of wealth: Banks, real estate
- Contributions: $1.8 million
- Net worth:$4 billion
- Source of wealth: Private equity
- Contributions: $1 million
- Net worth:$2.8 billion
- Source of wealth: Investments
- Contributions: $900,000
- Net worth:$4.2 billion
- Source of wealth: Hedge funds
- Contributions: $831,370
- Net worth:$1.8 billion
- Source of wealth: Private equity
- Contributions: $715,600
- Net worth: $5 billion
- Source of wealth: Money management
- Contributions: $700,000
Stephen Schwarzman
- Net worth:$22.5 billion
- Source of wealth: Investments
- Contributions: $699,400
- Net worth:$4.3 billion
- Source of wealth: Money management
- Contributions: $250,000
Thomas Peterffy
- Net worth: $24.3 billion
- Source of wealth: Discount brokerage
- Contributions: $250,000
Peter Thiel
- Net worth:$5.6 billion
- Source of wealth: Facebook, Palantir
- Contributions: $250,000
Ronald Perelman
- Net worth:$6.8 billion
- Source of wealth: Leveraged buyouts
- Contributions: $125,000
- Net worth:$6 billion
- Source of wealth: Venture capital
- Contributions: $100,000
Julian Robertson Jr.
- Net worth:$4.3 billion
- Source of wealth: Hedge funds
- Contributions to Trump: $100,000
Wilbur “Ed” Bosarge Jr.
- Net worth:$1 billion
- Source of wealth: High-speed trading
- Contributions: $50,000
Nelson Peltz
- Net worth:$1.7 billion
- Source of wealth: Investments
- Contributions: $25,000
Lori Milken, wife of Michael Milken
- Spouse’s net worth:$3.7 billion
- Source of wealth: Investments
- Contributions: $12,500
Gail Golden-Icahn, wife of Carl Icahn
- Spouse’s net worth:$17.1 billion
- Source of wealth: Investments
- Contributions: $5,600
Debbi Bowles, wife of Don Hankey
- Spouse’s net worth:$3.2 billion
- Source of wealth: Auto loans
- Contributions: $5,000
Elaine Langone, wife of Ken Langone
- Spouse’s net worth:$5 billion
- Source of wealth: Investments
- Contributions: $5,000
Stewart Horejsi
- Net worth:$2.2 billion
- Source of wealth: Berkshire Hathaway
- Contributions: $2,800
Warren Stephens
- Net worth:$2.7 billion
- Source of wealth: Investment banking
- Contributions: $2,800
Rodger Riney
- Net worth:$3.6 billion
- Source of wealth: Discount brokerage
- Contributions: $2,000
T. Denny Sanford
- Net worth:$1.6 billion
- Source of wealth: Banking, credit cards
- Contributions: $1,500
FOOD & BEVERAGE
Christopher “Kit” Angela Goldsbury
- Net worth:$1.7 billion
- Source of wealth: Salsa(Pace Foods)
- Contributions: $802,300
- Net worth:$1.7 billion
- Source of wealth: Sandwich chain (Jimmy John’s)
- Contributions: $212,000
- Net worth:$4.2 billion
- Source of wealth: Houston Rockets, entertainment
- Contributions: $140,000
- Net worth:$1.3 billion
- Source of wealth: Fishing
- Contributions: $50,000
Jude Reyes
- Net worth:$5.4 billion
- Source of wealth: Food distribution
- Contributions: $50,000
J. Christopher Reyes
- Net worth:$5.4 billion
- Source of wealth: Food distribution
- Contributions: $50,000
- Net worth:$2.3 billion
- Source of wealth: Pet food (Iams)
- Contributions: $26,600
Cynthia Cathy, wife of Bubba Cathy
- Spouse’s net worth:$7.1 billion
- Source of wealth: Chick-fil-A
- Contributions: $1,000
Richard Yuengling, Jr.
- Net worth:$1.5 billion
- Source of wealth: Beer
- Contributions: $500
GAMBLING & CASINOS
- Net worth:$3 billion
- Source of wealth: Casinos, hotels
- Contributions: $1.5 million
- Net worth:$29.8 billion (as of the 2020 Forbes 400)
- Source of wealth: Casinos
- Contributions: $1.2 million
HEALTHCARE
Robert Duggan
- Net worth:$2.8 billion
- Source of wealth: Pharmaceuticals
- Contributions: $817,800
Stewart Rahr
- Net worth:$2.3 billion
- Source of wealth: Drug distribution
- Contributions: $250,000
LOGISTICS
- Net worth:$6.3 billion
- Source of wealth: Construction, mining
- Contributions: $1 million
- Net worth:$1.4 billion
- Source of wealth: Transportation
- Contributions: $101,000
MANUFACTURING
- Net worth:$2.2 billion
- Source of wealth: Hearing aids
- Contributions: $1 million
- Net worth:$4.6 billion
- Source of wealth: Ashley Furniture
- Contributions: $839,400
Archie Aldis Emmerson
- Net worth:$3.2 billion
- Source of wealth: Timberland, lumber mills
- Contributions: $45,000
Donald Friese
- Net worth:$1.1 billion
- Source of wealth: Manufacturing
- Contributions: $6,100
Alexander Rovt
- Net worth:$1.3 billion
- Source of wealth: Fertilizer, real estate
- Contributions: $1,360
MEDIA & ENTERTAINMENT
- Net worth:$5.9 billion
- Source of wealth: Marvel comics
- Contributions: $1.9 million
- Net worth:$5.5 billion
- Source of wealth: Cable television
- Contributions: $125,000
- Net worth:$2 billion
- Source of wealth: DirecTV
- Contributions: $25,000
John Malone
- Net worth: $7.5 billion
- Source of wealth: Cable television
- Contributions: $16,000
Margaretta Taylor
- Net worth:$5.2 billion
- Source of wealth: Media, automotive
- Contributions: $5,000
REAL ESTATE
- Net worth:$1.9 billion
- Source of wealth: Real estate services
- Contributions: $725,000
H. Ross Perot, Jr.
- Net worth:$2.5 billion
- Source of wealth: Real estate
- Contributions: $660,000
B. Wayne Hughes Jr.
- Net worth:$1.6 billion
- Source of wealth: Storage facilities
- Contributions: $500,000
Julia Argyros, wife of George Argyros
- Spouse’s net worth:$2.1 billion
- Source of wealth: Real estate, investments
- Contributions: $100,000
Richard LeFrak
- Net worth:$3.6 billion
- Source of wealth: Real estate
- Contributions: $100,000
Benjamin Lewis, husband of Jane Goldman
- Net worth:$3 billion
- Source of wealth: Real estate
- Contributions: $100,000
Martin Selig
- Net worth:$1.4 billion
- Source of wealth: Real estate
- Contributions: $50,000
Igor Olenicoff
- Net worth:$4.3 billion
- Source of wealth: Real estate
- Contributions to Trump: $24,200
- Net worth:$2.3 billion
- Source of wealth: Shopping centers
- Contributions: $3,000
SERVICE
Darwin Deason
- Net worth:$1.3 billion
- Source of wealth: Xerox
- Contributions: $405,000
David Katzman
- Net worth: $1.2 billion
- Source of wealth: Teeth aligners (SmileDirectClub)
- Contributions: $100,000
Gary Rollins
- Net worth:$5.5 billion
- Source of wealth: Pest control(Orkin)
- Contributions: $25,000
SPORTS
- Net worth:$2.1 billion
- Source of wealth: Casinos, mixed martial arts
- Contributions: $721,200
- Net worth:$2.1 billion
- Source of wealth: Casinos, mixed martial arts
- Contributions to Trump: $721,200
Linda McMahon, wife of Vincent McMahon
- Spouse’s net worth:$1.8 billion
- Source of wealth: Entertainment (WWE)
- Contributions: $360,600
Dan Snyder
- Net worth:$2.6 billion
- Source of wealth: Washington Football Team
- Contributions: $100,000
- Net worth:$3.4 billion
- Source of wealth: Billboards, Anaheim Angels
- Contributions: $10,800
TECHNOLOGY
- Net worth:$15.6 billion
- Source of wealth: Business software
- Contributions: $1.2 million
Safra Catz & Gal Tirosh
- Net worth:$1.2 billion
- Source of wealth: Software (Oracle)
- Contributions: $250,000
Joseph Liemandt
- Net worth:$3 billion
- Source of wealth: Software
- Contributions: $250,000
- Net worth:$5.2 billion
- Source of wealth: Microsoft
- Contributions: $200,000
TELECOM
- Net worth:$1.5 billion
- Source of wealth: Telecom
- Contributions: $1.7 million
