GOP Megadonor Who Backed Haley Now Funding Trump

Republican presidential candidate and former President Donald Trump speaks during a campaign rally in Grand Rapids, Mich., on April 2, 2024. Rebecca Cook/Reuters

A significant financier of Nikki Haley’s presidential run is now throwing his weight behind former President Donald Trump.

According to an updated copy of the invitation to a fundraiser for a joint fundraising committee backing President Trump seen by The Epoch Times, Warren Stephens will be a co-chair of the Trump 47 Committee’s so-called Inaugural Leadership Dinner to be held on April 6 in Palm Beach, Florida.

The invitation said President Trump will be in attendance, along with Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.), North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, and businessman Vivek Ramaswamy, all of whom were candidates in the 2024 Republican presidential primary.

Mr. Stephens, CEO of Stephens Inc., along with some of his relatives, was a significant backer of former U.S. Ambassador to the U.N.’s bid for the GOP’s 2024 presidential nomination.

According to Federal Election Commission records, Warren Stephens and his wife, Harriet Stephens, gave $2 million to a hybrid political action committee—SFA Fund Inc.—to support Ms. Haley’s candidacy in 2023.

In January 2024, Warren Stephens, Harriett Stephens, and Laura Stephens, a senior marketing communication manager at Stephens Inc., sent a collective $1 million to SFA Fund.

Republican presidential candidate and former U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Nikki Haley speaks during a campaign event at The Madison Hotel in Washington on March 1, 2024. Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

A spokeswoman representing event co-host John Paulson previously told The Epoch Times the Trump 47 fundraiser is expected to generate $43 million to support President Trump, the Republican National Committee, and various Republican Party interests across the United States.

Mr. Stephens’ inclusion in the list of co-chairs—which includes GOP donor heavyweights like Robert Bigelow, Robert Mercer, and Steve Wynn—is a critical conversion for President Trump’s campaign.

With a portion of the American electorate and a number of big-spending donors previously picking Ms. Haley, both President Trump and his presumed general election opponent, President Joe Biden, are now working to court her former supporters.

President Trump previously said anyone who gave to Ms. Haley would be “permanently barred from the MAGA camp.”

Moreover, according to the latest round of FEC disclosures for both candidates, President Biden’s campaign holds a significant cash-on-hand advantage over President Trump.

It remains to be seen if any more significant donors who gave heavily to the hybrid PAC backing Ms. Haley—like GOP megadonors Ken Griffin and Paul Singer— will support President Trump in the coming months.

Other Major Donors

The updated invitation also included two new names: Geoffrey Palmer and Kelcy Warren.

Mr. Palmer is the owner of the California-based real estate development firm G. H. Palmer Associates. The Epoch Times previously reported that Mr. Palmer has given $1 million to a super PAC backing President Trump: Make America Great Again Inc.

Mr. Palmer has also donated to a fund that backed President Trump’s previous reelection effort called America First Action.

Mr. Warren is the executive chairman and chairman of the board of directors of Energy Transfer LP.

Energy Transfer is involved with the Dakota Access Pipeline. The pipeline opened in 2017 after President Trump signed an executive order to advance its construction in January of that same year. Energy Transfer previously accused the Obama administration of delaying the pipeline’s construction.

According to donor records maintained by watchdog group OpenSecrets, Mr. Kelcy gave $10 million to America First Action in August 2020. He is also a consistent donor to Republican causes and candidates, including the Republican National Committee.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.