Politics
NEW: Mystery Billionaire Who Donated $130 Million To Pay Troops During Shutdown Identified
The anonymous donor who donated $130 million to the federal government in order to provide paychecks to active duty service members amidst the ongoing government shutdown has been identified as Timothy Mellon, a reclusive billionaire and major financial backer of President Donald Trump.
Trump announced the donation this past Thursday, but declined to reveal the donor’s name after saying he “doesn’t want the recognition.” The president again declined to reveal the donor’s identity while taking questions from reporters aboard Air Force One, describing him only as a “great American citizen” and a “substantial man.”
“He doesn’t want publicity,” Trump said on Friday. “He prefer that his name not be mentioned, which is pretty unusual in the world I come from, and in the world of politics, you want your name mentioned.”
Two people familiar with the matter told the New York Times that Mellon was indeed the donor, however.
Details have not been made immediately clear as to how the donation will be used to pay troops’ salaries. The Trump administration’s 2025 budget asked for about $600 billion in total military compensation, according to the Congressional Budget Office.
The $130 million donation would equate to roughly $100 per service member, according to the New York Times.
Mellon, a grandson of former Treasury Secretary Andrew W. Mellon, gave tens of millions of dollars to the president’s election campaign in 2024. Last year, he gave $50 million to a super PAC supporting Trump, making it one of the largest single contributions ever disclosed, Fox News reported.
He is also a significant supporter of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who launched his own White House bid in 2024 before eventually dropping out and endorsing Trump’s campaign. Mellon donated millions to Kennedy’s presidential campaign and has also given money to the secretary’s Children’s Health Defense nonprofit.
Despite making significant strides into the political foray, Mellon is known for keeping an exceptionally low profile. In an autobiography published in 2015, Mellon described himself as a former liberal who moved from Connecticut to Wyoming due to lower tax rates and far lower population density.
The Pentagon said it accepted the donation under the “general gift acceptance authority.”
“The donation was made on the condition that it be used to offset the cost of service members’ salaries and benefits,” Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said in a statement to the New York Times.
🚨 Meet Timothy Mellon — the billionaire heir who reportedly just gave $130M so our troops wouldn’t miss a paycheck.
He lives reclusively in Wyoming and hasn’t even had his photo published in decades.
A rare example of a billionaire funding the government, not lobbying it. pic.twitter.com/Ggwicjopq6
— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) October 25, 2025
Democrats are likely to challenge the donation in court by claiming that it may be a potential violation of the Antideficiency Act, which prohibits federal agencies from spending money in excess of congressional appropriations or from accepting voluntary services.
