A handful of megadonors helped to power Donald Trump’s presidential campaign to victory earlier this month. Now, some of them are under consideration for major positions as he shapes his next administration.
For decades, top donors to winning presidential campaigns have been in the mix for top administrative slots, ranging from plum ambassador gigs in tropical locales to Cabinet positions directly shaping White House policies.
And now, as Trump continues to fill out the upper echelons of his transition and administration, some key donors appear to be in the fray.
Linda McMahon, the former professional wrestling executive who led Trump’s Small Business Administration in his first term and has served in a leadership capacity at a variety of pro-Trump outside groups groups, is helping to lead his transition. She donated more than $21 million to help Trump’s campaign this election cycle —more than $20 million to the Make America Great Again Inc. super PAC and another $937,800 to his campaign and affiliated joint fundraising committees.
(These figures are current as of Oct. 16, the period covered by the most recent federal campaign filings cover. New documents due to be filed in December will show the full picture of donations through Election Day.)
McMahon’s co-lead on the transition, Howard Lutnick, gave Trump’s campaign and affiliated committees more than $400,000, plus another $6 million to MAGA Inc. Trump announced Tuesday that Lutnick is his pick to run the Commerce Department.
Chris Wright, the Liberty Energy CEO tapped to be Trump’s energy secretary, gave the campaign and affiliated committees more than $235,000.
Two candidates reportedly in the mix for treasury secretary have another thing in common — megadonor status.
Scott Bessent, a top Trump fundraiser who two sources familiar with the process tell NBC News has been in the mix to lead the Treasury Department, donated more than $1 million to MAGA Inc., and another $676,500 to Trump’s campaign and affiliated committees.
