Summary
- Timothy Mellon donated $130 million to pay troops amid shutdown.
- Mellon is a reclusive billionaire and major Trump campaign donor.
- He previously gave $50 million to Trump’s 2024 super PAC.
Mellon, a railroad tycoon and the son of a well-known political and financial dynasty, has not made any public announcements regarding his donation.
The donation was disclosed by President Trump on Thursday, who said it came from a "patriot" and a "friend."
The Independent has reached out to the Treasury and Defense Departments for comment, but the White House declined to comment.
The Pentagon said it had received the money under its "general gift acceptance authority" after confirming the anonymous payment on Friday.
“The donation was made on the condition that it be used to offset the cost of Service members’ salaries and benefits,”
said Sean Parnell, chief spokesman for the Pentagon.
“We are grateful for this donor’s assistance after Democrats opted to withhold pay from troops.”
Spectators were worried that the donation might not be permitted.
The Antideficiency Act, which prohibits government agencies from taking voluntary services or spending more than their congressional appropriations, can be violated.
“This should go without saying, but the American government should be funded by the American people, not anonymous mega-donor friends of the president,”
the watchdog group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington wrote in a statement on X.
“This is not how things should work in a democracy—this raises all sorts of legal and ethical alarms,”
the group added.
Mellon is one of the nation's most frequent contributors to Donald Trump and his supporters, with Forbes estimating his net worth to be close to $1 billion last year.
He provided $100 million to organizations that backed Trump and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. during the 2024 campaign, as well as to the latter's bid for president.
He previously gained notoriety for allegedly making offensive remarks in his self-published book that compared Black recipients of social assistance to slaves taking "freebies."
Despite being out of the ordinary, Mellon's purported donation would not significantly improve the Pentagon's financial situation. In its 2025 budget, the Trump administration has asked for almost $600 billion in total military compensation.
The administration last week made payroll using $8 billion that was initially intended for research and development.
What is Timothy Mellon's known history of political donations?
Timothy Mellon, heir at law to the prominent Mellon banking and artificial fortune, has a significant history of political donations largely supporting Democratic campaigners and conservative causes.
From January 2020 through mid-2024, Mellon bestowed roughly $227 million to civil campaigners and political panels, with nearly all benefactions going to Republicans. Major benefactions to Donald Trump’s juggernauts, including $75 million to MAGA Inc. in 2024, with a notable $50 million gift the day after Trump’s 2024 convictions.
Donations to other conservative causes like the Heritage Foundation and significant backing for Texas’s border wall construction. A $25 million donation to American Values 2024, a super PAC originally supporting Robert F. Kennedy Jr. during his presidential run.