Among the 76 billionaires supporting Kamala Harris, 28 have donated $1 million.
As the 2024 US presidential race heats up, billionaires across the country are quietly taking sides, providing significant financial support to either Vice President Kamala Harris or former President Donald Trump. While some, like Elon Musk, are vocal about their support, others, like Warren Buffett and Mark Zuckerberg, are choosing to stay on the sidelines despite rumors and speculation about their political leanings.
According to Forbes, 76 billionaires are backing Kamala Harris, while 49 billionaires have been identified as supporters of Donald Trump.
Many more billionaires may still commit to a candidate, but their contributions won’t be made public until after the election when the final Federal Election Commission report is released in December.
Why are billionaires leaning toward Harris?
Despite criticism of Kamala Harris’ policies that favor billionaires, many ultra-wealthy individuals support her for practical reasons. A letter from more than a dozen billionaires backing Harris emphasizes that she is expected to uphold “fair and predictable policies” that ensure economic stability. This resonates particularly well with Silicon Valley billionaires, who know Harris from her days as a California prosecutor. A recent survey also showed that sectors such as technology, healthcare and sustainability will thrive once Harris becomes president.
Kamala Harris supporters
Of the 76 billionaires who back Harris, 28 have donated $1 million or more to groups supporting her. Here are some notable names:
- Michael Bloomberg (former New York mayor, Bloomberg)
- Arthur Blank (Atlanta Falcons)
- Reid Hoffman (LinkedIn)
- Vinod Khosla (Khosla Ventures)
- Dustin Moskovitz (Facebook)
- Steven Spielberg (Hollywood director)
In addition, 36 billionaires contributed between $50,000 to $999,999. Some of these are:
- Tory Burch (fashion designer)
- Reed Hastings (Netflix)
- Chris Larsen (Ripple)
- Lauren Powell Jobs (Apple)
In addition, Melinda French Gates, Joe Gebbia (Airbnb) and several other prominent personalities have financially supported the Democratic presidential candidate. High-profile individuals such as Mark Cuban and Magic Johnson signed an open letter supporting her.
Donald Trump’s Billionaire Supporters
Trump, who has positioned himself as a champion of the ultra-wealthy and the working class, has garnered significant support from 49 billionaires. Notable supporters include:
- Miriam Adelson (Las Vegas Sands Corp.)
- Don Ahern (Las Vegas Construction)
- Diane Hendricks (ABC Supply)
- Linda McMahon (WWE)
- Steve Wynn (Wynn Resorts)
Another 16 billionaires have contributed between $50,000 and $999,999, including:
- Tilman Fertitta (Houston Rockets)
- John Paulson (Paulson & Co.)
- Thomas Siebel (Siebel Systems)
Trump’s supporters also include tech magnate Elon Musk, who has actively campaigned for him, appearing at a rally and offering incentives to swing state voters through his political action committee.
Billionaires remain neutral (for now)
While many billionaires are openly supporting either Harris or Trump, others are keeping their distance for the time being:
- Amazon founder Jeff Bezos has praised Donald Trump’s tenacity after he was shot, but has yet to publicly endorse any candidate.
- Warren Buffett is a well-known Democrat, but he has remained silent this time around.
- Mark Zuckerberg has reportedly had private discussions with Donald Trump, but has not endorsed any candidate.
- Bill Gates has not officially endorsed any candidate. However, in an interview given in July, he expressed positive feelings towards Harris, saying, “It’s great to have someone who is young, who can think about things like AI and how we can shape it in the right way.”
- Jamie Dimon, CEO of the largest US bank, JPMorgan Chase, has not endorsed any candidate, according to his spokesperson. However, last week, Trump shared a false social media post claiming Dimon’s endorsement.
- Ray Dalio, founder of Bridgewater Associates, the world’s largest hedge fund, called the upcoming election the “most important” election of his lifetime. Still, he has not endorsed Harris or Trump.
- Google co-founder Sergey Brin, who previously found Trump’s election “very insulting” to him as an immigrant, has kept his feelings private during this election cycle, and has not made any public statements about the current candidates.
- Larry Ellison and Ken Griffin: Despite their past financial support for Republican causes, these two billionaires have been surprisingly silent in the final months before the election. As the election draws closer, more billionaires may reveal their choices.
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