Timothy Mellon, heir to the Mellon banking fortune, has recently made headlines by becoming the largest individual contributor to the Super PACs of both Donald Trump and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for the 2024 presidential race, sparking reactions and raising questions within the political landscape.
According to Federal Election Commission (FEC) records, Timothy Mellon, the heir to the Mellon banking fortune and grandson of former U.S. treasury secretary Andrew Mellon, made significant donations in January. He contributed $5 million to MAGA Inc., aligned with Donald Trump’s fundraising efforts, and another $5 million to a Super PAC supporting the presidential bid of Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who recently transitioned from being a Democrat to an independent candidate.
Mellon’s history as a Republican donor, particularly to figures like Trump, is well-documented. He notably provided $20 million to the America First Action Super PAC in support of Trump’s 2020 campaign.
Interestingly, Mellon’s involvement with political contributions extends to last July when he initially supported Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s candidacy for the White House by donating to the Super PAC American Values 2024. At that time, Kennedy Jr. was still running as a Democratic candidate.
According to FEC, Mellon contributed a total of $15 million to American Values in 2023, during Kennedy Jr.’s candidacy as both a Democrat and an independent. He also donated $10 million to Trump-aligned MAGA Inc. in the latter half of the previous year, making him the top donor for both Super PACs.
Responding to Mellon’s significant donations, Alex Floyd, the rapid response director for the DNC, stated that the latest $5 million contribution to RFK Jr.’s Super PAC from Trump’s largest donor reinforces the belief that Kennedy Jr. is closely tied to Trump’s interests in this election. Earlier this month, the DNC erected billboards in Michigan highlighting Mellon’s support for both Kennedy Jr. and Trump.
In a prior statement to Newsweek, a representative from Kennedy Jr.’s campaign expressed: “Donors from across the political spectrum are supporting the Kennedy campaign as they are tired of the corruption in the two-party system. Instead, donors want an independent candidate who will heal the divide, restore the middle class, end the forever wars, unravel corporate capture, and end the chronic disease epidemic.”
According to January’s FEC filings, Trump’s official campaign funds fall short of President Joe Biden’s, with Trump reporting slightly over $30 million in cash on hand by the end of the month, down from $33 million in 2023. Meanwhile, Biden’s campaign raised over $42 million in January, amassing a total of $130 million in available cash for the upcoming 2024 election.
Relevant articles:
– Donald Trump and RFK Jr have the same largest donor
– Backed Super PAC Takes Millions More From Trump’s Top Donor, Democrats.org, Wed, 21 Feb 2024 21:22:16 GMT
– Democrats allege RFK Jr. campaign took illegal help to collect signatures in states, Kansas Reflector, Sun, 11 Feb 2024 08:00:00 GMT
– Trump’s super PAC raised $46 million in 6 months, POLITICO, Thu, 25 Jan 2024 08:00:00 GMT