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FinanceDonald Trump

Here Are All the Billionaires Backing Donald Trump

Robert Hackett
By
Robert Hackett
Robert Hackett
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Robert Hackett
By
Robert Hackett
Robert Hackett
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August 3, 2016, 4:51 PM ET
Rust Belt Trump Supporters Attend Campaign Rally At Pennsylvania High School
John Moore—Getty Images

On Monday, Warren Buffett attacked Donald Trump’s business acumen, saying a monkey could have done far better running a public company than the Republican nominee did. Buffett also challenged Trump to release his tax returns.

Buffett is one of a number of billionaires who have lined up in support of the Democratic party contender, Hillary Clinton. Her endorsers also include mogul and former NYC mayor Michael Bloomberg and Apple CEO Tim Cook.

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Still others are dissatisfied with both options for the executive office. At Fortune’s Brainstorm Tech conference in Aspen, Colo., this summer, the mega-wealthy industrialist Charles Koch, a longtime conservative backer, likened voting for either candidate to choosing between “cancer or a heart attack.” (We left him off the list.)

But when it comes to big bucks donors, Donald Trump is not going it alone, either.

For more billionaires’ thoughts on Trump, watch:

The Republican party candidate for president has more than a dozen of billionaire backers supporting his campaign. Though Fortune and others have questioned Trump’s own personal wealth claims, other members of the three comma club have thrown their weight behind him.

Who among them has raised the Trump banner? People on the list range from Peter Thiel, the Silicon Valley investor of PayPal (PYPL) and Facebook (FB) fame who keynoted this year’s Republican National Convention, to Sheldon Adelson, the Las Vegas Sands Casino (LVS) impresario, to Woody Johnson, owner of the New York Jets football team and heir to the Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) fortune, to Carl Icahn, the rough-and-tumble activist investor and chairman of the eponymous Icahn Enterprises (IEP). (Sorry, Martin Shkreli, the ex-CEO of Turing Pharmaceuticals, did not make the cut.)

Here’s the lineup of ultra-rich bigwigs championing the reality television star-turned-politician in the 2016 election.

1. Peter Thiel

Republican National Convention: Day Four
Peter Thiel, co-founder of PayPal, delivers a speech at the Republican National Convention in Cleveland, Ohio.Photograph by Alex Wong—Getty Images

“Fake culture wars only distract us from our economic decline, and no one in this race is being honest about it except Donald Trump,” the Silicon Valley venture capitalist said onstage at this year’s Republican National Convention.

2. Carl Icahn

Key Speakers At The Leveraged Finance Fights Melanoma Event
Billionaire activist investor Carl IcahnPhotograph by Victor J. Blue—Bloomberg via Getty Images

“I think you need somebody to shake up the establishment in Washington just like you do in corporate America,” Icahn told Fortune earlier this year.

3. Tom Barrack

The 2016 Republican National Convention
Tom Barrack, chairman of Colony Capital Inc., speaking at the Republican National Convention in Cleveland, Ohio.Photograph by Daniel Acker—Bloomberg via Getty Images

The private equity veteran endorsed Trump, even though he said Trump once “played [him] like a Steinway piano” during a business deal.

4. Woody Johnson

Victoria's Secret PINK Model Jessica Hart Attends The Jets Game To Celebrate The NFL Victoria's Secret PINK Collection
Victoria’s Secret PINK model Jessica Hart, NY Jets Owner Woody Johnson, and his wife Suzanne Ircha JohnsonMichael Loccisano—Getty Images

The Johnson & Johnson jet-setter plans to host a fundraiser for Trump at his estate in East Hampton.

5. Stephen Feinberg

Stephen FeinbergCourtesy of Dow Jones Events

The cofounder and CEO of private equity firm Cerberus Capital Management previously pumped $200,000 into the political action committee that supported Jeb Bush.

6. Steven Mnuchin

LACMA 2013 Art + Film Gala Honoring Martin Scorsese And David Hockney Presented By Gucci - Inside
Heather Mnuchin and Steven MnuchinPhotograph by Stefanie Keenan—Getty Images for LACMA
Photograph by Stefanie Keenan—Getty Images for LACMA

 
The hedge fund manager serves as Trump’s chief fundraiser and as head of his national finance committee.

7. Sheldon Adelson

2016 Friends Of The Israel Defense Forces Gala
Sheldon AdelsonPhotograph by Shahar Azran—Getty Images

“He’s our nominee,” the Sands casino magnate told the New York Times in May. “He won fair and square.”

8. Robert Mercer

2014 World Science Festival Gala
Bob MercerAndrew Toth—Getty Images
Andrew Toth—Getty Images

 
This hedge fund manager and his daughter Rebekah have reportedly donated nearly $500,000 each to the Trump campaign.

9. T. Boone Pickens

Key Speakers At The 2016 SALT Conference
T. Boone Pickens, chairman and CEO at BP CapitalPhotograph by David Paul Morris—Bloomberg via Getty Images

The 87-year-old Texas oil baron said that he’s “ready to take a chance on it,” and “just in case it’s a mistake, [I’ll] be gone.”

10. Stanley Hubbard

Museum Of The Moving Image Honors Lorne Michaels And Stanley S. Hubbard
Stanley S. Hubbard and Lorne MichaelsPhotograph by Rahav Segev—WireImage

“I think anybody would be better than Clinton,” the media mogul told MinnPost, an online news outlet focused on all things Minnesota. “I think he’ll moderate himself.”

11. Darwin Deason

HSJ_9025
Darwin DeasonPhotograph by Hillsman S. Jackson — Southern Methodist University

The tech entrepreneur and his wife Katerina have reportedly donated nearly $500,000 each to Trump’s cause.

12. Wilbur Ross

Billionaire And Chief Executive Officer Of WL Ross & Co. LLC Wilbur Ross
Wilbur Ross, U.S. billionaire, chairman and CEO of WL Ross & Co. LLC.Photograph by Chris Ratcliffe—Bloomberg via Getty Images

The cost of a plate at a Trump fundraising luncheon held at the investor’s Southampton estate was $25,000.

13. Andrew Beal

Andy Beal CEO of Beal Bank
CEO of Beal Bank Andy BealPhotograph by Matthew Mahon—Redux
Photograph by Matthew Mahon—Redux

 
“All these politicians with all these specific plans,” the banker groused to the New York Times when explaining his support for Trump. “I think it’s total [expletive].”

14. John Paulson

Paulson's Biggest Hedge Fund Said To Lose 11 Percent This Year
John A. Paulson, president of Paulson & Co.Rick Maiman—Bloomberg via Getty Images

Paulson, who made his fortune betting against the housing market before its collapse a decade ago, co-hosted a supremely pricey Trump fundraising event at Le Cirque, a French restaurant in Manhattan.

About the Author
Robert Hackett
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