The anonymous donor and friend of President Donald Trump who donated millions to help pay the U.S. military amid the government shutdown is billionaire Timothy Mellon, according to a new report from The New York Times.
Trump first announced the $130 million donation on Thursday, saying the giver did not want to be named. The president described the donor as a “friend of mine” and a “patriot.”
The Department of Defense accepted the money “on the condition that it be used to offset the cost of service members’ salaries and benefits,” Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said. Defense budget analyst Todd Harrison told Politico that the sum would cover about a third of one day’s pay for all active-duty service members.
On Saturday, the Times identified the mysterious donor as Mellon, citing “two people familiar with the matter.” He is the grandson of financier and former U.S. Treasury Secretary Andrew Mellon, and is an heir to the Mellon family’s banking and railroad fortune.
During the 2024 election cycle, Timothy Mellon spent more than $165 million backing Republican candidates, including $125 million to a pro-Trump super PAC.
Legal experts have warned that the $130 million donation may be a violation of the Antideficiency Act, which bars federal agencies from spending funds that haven’t been appropriated by Congress.