Who are the billionaires, business leaders who might shape a second Trump presidency?
Who are the billionaires, business leaders who might shape a second Trump presidency?
Elon Musk, the globe’s richest person, formed a high-profile collaboration with Donald Trump on the eve of his election to a second term as president.
Musk spoke at Trump rallies and offered controversial $1 million giveaways to voters in swing states in an attempt to drum up back for the Republican candidate. Trump publicly offered Musk a leadership position in his second administration.
Many other billionaires and industry titans have thrown their back behind Trump. Now, some could be in the running for cabinet posts, while others may wield influence behind the scenes.
Who are they?
Peter Thiel
Peter Thiel has been up and down in his back for Trump, but he is a staunch friend of Vice President-elect JD Vance.
Thiel made his fortune as an early investor in PayPal and Facebook. He’s a longtime Republican donor who has spent more than $49 million on campaigns since 2000, USA TODAY reports.
A self-described libertarian, Thiel has expressed controversial opinions and associated with figures on the far correct.
Vance worked for Thiel at his enterprise pool firm in Silicon Valley. Thiel helped Vance triumph a seat in the U.S. Senate, a job that provided a launchpad for his selection as Trump’s running mate.
Linda McMahon
Linda McMahon helped her husband, Vince McMahon, construct the globe Wrestling Entertainment empire.
As part of Trump’s Cabinet in his first presidential term, Linda McMahon served as head of the U.S. tiny Business Administration from 2017 to 2019.
McMahon sat near Trump at the 2024 Republican National Convention and co-leads his shift throng. Politico names her as a potential pick for Commerce secretary.
Howard Lutnick
Howard Lutnick is chairman and CEO of monetary services firm Cantor Fitzgerald. Lutnick is a major Trump donor and co-chair of the Trump 2024 shift throng, along with Linda McMahon.
Lutnick and Trump are close, according to Politico. Lutnick once appeared on “The Apprentice,” Trump’s showcase reality television program. Lutnick is considered a potential candidate for Treasury secretary.
Vivek Ramaswamy
A onetime 2024 Republican presidential candidate, Vivek Ramaswamy is a biotech billionaire who was once considered a potential pick for Trump’s vice president.
Though he wasn’t chosen as veep, Ramaswamy himself has hinted at other potential roles in a Trump White House, possibly overseeing immigration as secretary of the Department of Homeland safety. He was born in Ohio, the son of Indian immigrants.
Like many politicians vying for Trump’s favor, USA TODAY reports, Ramaswamy has walked the line between defending and criticizing the president-elect in the history.
Miriam Adelson
Miriam Adelson is a medical doctor who owns a majority stake in the Las Vegas Sands casino corporation and the Dallas Mavericks basketball throng, according to Forbes.
Adelson is one of Trump’s largest donors, having given $100 million to political action committee Preserve America’s efforts to elect him, according to OpenSecrets.org.
Adelson is influential behind the scenes, given her monetary resources and ardent back of Israel, where she was born, USA TODAY reports. Forbes reports her household’s total assets at $34.2 billion.
statement Ackman
statement Ackman, a billionaire protect pool manager, endorsed Trump for president despite previous misgivings, according to Reuters. He even listed 33 reasons for supporting Trump.
As election results trickled in, Ackman rejoiced on X about Trump’s impending win, predicting “the implosion of the Democratic event” and chastising the mainstream media. He had previously predicted Trump’s triumph.
Diane Hendricks
Billionaire Diane Hendricks spoke at the 2024 Republican National Convention in Milwaukee to discuss her life as one of nine girls in her household, a single mom and wife who sought to fulfill the American aspiration.
The Wisconsin business owner is the 92nd-richest person in the globe, according to Forbes. Hendricks is the co-founder of ABC Supply, a distributor of roofing supplies, siding and windows.
She has an estimated total assets of $20.9 billion, leading the Forbes’ list of richest self-made women in America for the history seven years, USA TODAY reports.
Marc Andreessen
Marc Andreessen, a Silicon Valley enterprise capitalist, has vacillated between supporting Democrats and Republicans in the history. In 2024, he threw his back behind Trump.
Andreessen chose Trump, TechCrunch reports, because he believes Trump’s policies are better for the tech industry. He believes the Biden administration has stifled tech startups through overregulation and unnecessary taxation. Trump, he reasons, would allow tech innovation to flourish.
The captains of Silicon Valley were once considered a solidly Democratic throng, so the defection of Andreessen and some of his peers is seen as a sea transformation by some observers.
Timothy Mellon
Timothy Mellon, heir to the Mellon household fortune, has been bankrolling Donald Trump politically for years. Mellon donated at least $115 million to the Trump campaign, according to Reuters. He also backed Trump in 2020.
Mellon has donated to many anti-immigration measures and was a major contributor to a Texas-led pool to construct a wall on the southern border with Mexico, a concern he shares with Trump.
Forbes estimates the Mellon household is worth $14.1 billion. Timothy Mellon lives in Wyoming and is rarely photographed, Reuters reports.
John Paulson
John Paulson, a protect-pool billionaire, endorsed Trump in 2024 and has backed him since 2016, Politico reports.
According to Bloomberg, Trump has floated Paulson’s name privately as a potential Treasury secretary.
Paulson is a longtime proponent of levy cuts and deregulation, according to Reuters, and has supported tariffs to for national safety and to counter unfair trade practices, as has Trump.
Back in April, Paulson hosted a Trump fundraiser at his Palm Beach home.
Scott Bessent
One co-host of that April fundraiser was Scott Bessent, a protect pool manager and Trump fundraiser.
Bessent has served as an unofficial adviser to the Trump campaign, Politico reports, and is considered to be in the running for a cabinet position: Treasury, perhaps.
Bessent has a warm connection with Trump, Reuters reports, and has praised the president-elect’s economic philosophies.
Woody Johnson
Robert Wood Johnson IV, the billionaire owner of the recent York Jets, served as ambassador to the United Kingdom in the first Trump administration.
His colleagues inside the Jets football organization suspect Johnson may reprise the role under a second Trump administration, the recent York Post reports.
Post Comment