Billionaire Timothy Mellon Donates $50 Million to Trump PAC

Former President Donald Trump holds a press conference following the verdict in his New York trial at Trump Tower in New York City on May 31, 2024. (Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

A group supporting former President Donald Trump got one of the biggest checks of the 2024 presidential election in May.

On June 20, the super political action committee Make America Great Again Inc. reported a $50 million contribution from Timothy Mellon to the Federal Election Commission (FEC).

The donation was recorded on May 31, the day after a New York jury convicted former President Trump on multiple felony counts.

Mr. Mellon, an heir to the Mellon family fortune, is ranked as one of the largest political donors of the 2024 cycle. As of the end of April, according to watchdog group OpenSecrets, Mr. Mellon has donated more than $65 million to various political causes since the beginning of 2023. That made him the second-largest individual donor of the cycle.

The $50 million contribution brings Mr. Mellon’s overall contribution to MAGA Inc. to $65 million, according to the FEC. By far, Mr. Mellon is now the former president’s largest single supporter.

Backing RFK Jr.

Along with former President Trump, Mr. Mellon is a significant backer of independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s presidential campaign. Since the beginning of 2023, Mr. Mellon has given $30 million to American Values 2024. American Values is a hybrid PAC supporting Mr. Kennedy’s run.

The donor connection between former President Trump and Mr. Kennedy is leading Democrats to speculate that the Kennedy candidacy exists purely to spoil the election for President Joe Biden. Republicans make similar charges that Mr. Kennedy is out to ruin their chances.

All told, MAGA Inc. raked in $68.8 million in May while spending $9.5 million. The group supporting former President Donald Trump reported it has $93.7 million in cash on hand.

On June 3, the Trump campaign, its allies, and the Republican National Committee announced they collectively raised more than $141 million in May. The conservative groups said multiple donors were motivated by the New York conviction.

It remains to be seen how far the money will go to closing the cash gap between the Trump campaign and President Biden’s reelection effort. As of about 8.30 p.m. ET, neither President Biden’s principal campaign committee Biden For President, nor his allied hybrid PAC Future Forward, or FF PAC, had issued monthly disclosure statements.

Earlier in the evening, however, the Biden campaign issued a statement accusing the Trump campaign of having a “money problem.”

“Our ask of Team Trump is simple: Show us the money,” Ammar Moussa, a rapid response director for the Biden campaign, said in a release.

When the Biden campaign last spoke to the press about its finances, it said it had access to more than $192 million in cash on hand.