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SEE 20 billionaires supporting Trump and Kamala in the race for The White House
By Mario Deepromoter
The race for the United States Presidency has reached a fever pitch. As the US presidential election draws close, the financial backing of billionaires has become a defining factor in the campaigns of leading candidates.
Donald Trump, the Republican party candidate and Kamala Harris, who took the baton from President Biden for the Democratic party, continue to rally the support of some of America’s wealthiest, drawing powerful endorsements from influential figures in the country seeking to shape its future.
Elections are run with money, and political parties and their candidates require a lot of it to run successful campaigns. This process is supported by the high and mighty who donate good money towards the government they wish to see in power. These funds cover a range of expenses, including advertising, staffing, travel, and organising events.
From business partners to friends, acquaintances and wealthy individuals who want to see the tide turn in their favour, here are 20 billionaires supporting Trump and Kamala as the next US President.
Billionaires supporting Donald Trump
1. Elon Musk
Perhaps being Donald Trump’s biggest fan on X, which he now owns, the world’s richest man Elon Musk could also be Trump’s loudest supporter. In July, the founder worth, $250.8 billion announced plans to commit around $45 million a month to a new super political-action committee, called America PAC, backing former President Donald Trump’s presidential run.
2. Linda McMahon
Linda McMahon is the wife of Vince McMahon, the former CEO of WWE. McMahon, who is currently worth $3.1 billion had made up to $16 million in donations to Trump groups to support his election campaign. She chairs the pro-Trump nonprofit America First Policy Institute, serving on the board of Truth Social’s parent company, Trump Media and Technology Group.
3. Diane Hendricks
“I know how hard it is to build a company from nothing,” she said. “And we need a president who understands that too,” Diane Hendricks, called America’s richest self-made woman, said on stage at the Republican National Convention in her home state of Wisconsin last month. Forbes says that the $20.9 billion-worth entrepreneur has already pumped $6 million into groups that support him.
4. Andrew Beal
American banker and businessman, Andrew Beal gave more than $4 million to Trump committees and other GOP groups in 2020. The $12.2 billion- valued investor is now betting on Trump again, putting $1.8 million behind Trump’s 2024 ticket.
5. Kelcy Warren
Kelcy Warren, the billionaire in energy has been fond of Trump. Warren had given $100,000 to help elect him in 2016, then dropped more than $11 million in 2020. This time around, he has given about $6 million to support Trump’s campaign. Warren’s Energy Transfer is best known for the Dakota Access Pipeline, which Trump helped expedite in one of his first acts in office.
6. Elizabeth Uihlein & Richard Uihlein
Liz and Dick Uihlein are among the Republican party’s most generous donors, giving tens of millions per cycle. The couple have donated $5 million to trump groups according to Forbes. In 2021, the duo celebrated Trump’s “America First” trade policies and called out publicly-held companies for being “too concerned about their stock share price.”
7. Phil Ruffin
Ruffin is a significant Donald Trump donor, as well as his business partner and close friend. His donations to Trump’s PACs and committees have reached $3.3 million so far this cycle, surpassing his combined donations from the last two elections.
8. Geoffrey Palmer
Geoffrey Palmer is one of the largest apartment developers in Los Angeles, with nearly 13,000 units in the greater L.A. metro area. Palmer is a major financial backer of former president Donald Trump, donating some $16 million to his campaigns and PACs from 2016 to 2022. This year, he’s up to $3 million. The developer is worth $3.1 billion.
9. J.Joe.Ricketts
Ricketts, whose family owns the Chicago Cubs, poured $3 million into a Republican anti-Trump group back in 2016 with his wife. They have given a combined $2 million to Trump groups so far this time around, betting against Kamala.
10. Jimmy John Liautaud
Since Jimmy John sold the majority of his business to a private equity firm, he has gotten more involved in politics, as has his wife Leslie. She backed Trump in 2016 and 2020 and John joined her this year, giving $2.8 million to Trump groups so far.
Billionaires supporting Kamala Harris
1. Mark Cuban
The billionaire Shark Tank star and former principal owner of the Dallas Mavericks is one of the Democrats’ most valuable supporters. Valued at US$5.4 billion according to Forbes, Cuban, who is known to have attended a Joe Biden fundraiser, has retweeted various posts about Harris’ campaign, and signed the “VCs for Kamala” pledge.
2. Reid Hoffman
LinkedIn co-founder, Reid Hoffman has been a long-time Democratic donor and wasted no time backing Harris after Biden dropped. In January, he poured $2 million into a super political action committee (PAC) for Biden’s campaign. The former CEO, worth $2.5 billion plans to open a fundraiser for Harris and has been reported to push Netflix chairman Reed Hastings to donate US$7 million to a PAC supporting the current Vice President.
3. Vinod Khosla
Vinod Khosla, founder of Khosla Ventures, and OpenAI investor has backed Harris to win the elections in November following the withdrawal of President Biden, who he hosted a fundraiser for in May. Worth $7.2 billion per Forbes, the entrepreneur has donated to Super PACs in support of Harris.
4. Chris Sacca
Chris Sacca made early bets investing in Twitter and Uber through his venture capital firm Lowercase Capital. Now he’s making bets of Kamala Harris to be the next US president after donating to Biden’s campaign before he dropped out. Sacca noted that he and his partner Clay Dumas have “invested millions of dollars and countless hours helping build organisations and companies that we think have the best shot at giving blue candidates an edge in a game that is rigged against them.”
5. Eric Schmidt
Worth $22.5 billion per Forbes, the former CEO of Alphabet has given $1.6 million to Future Forward PAC, a Democratic super PAC, and $1.16 million to the Biden Victory Fund.
6. Dustin Moskovitz
Moskovitz, who helped to launch Facebook (now Meta Platforms) in 2004, gave up to $929,600 to the Biden Victory Fund before he dropped out of the race. Now, he has directed his attention to Kamala who goes against the same opponent, Trump.
News
UK Court Jails 35-yr-old Nigerians 10 Yrs After Brutal R3pe Of Woman In Nottingham
By Kayode Sanni-Arewa
A 35-year-old Nigerian, Timilehin Olatunji, has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for the rape of a woman at a property in Nottingham during the early hours of September 29, 2024.
It was gathered that the victim courageously used a mobile app to record audio evidence of the attack before escaping and reporting the crime to Nottinghamshire Police.
Following the report, Olatunji was arrested shortly afterward and subsequently charged with three counts of rape.
He pleaded guilty to the charges.
During the sentencing at Nottingham Crown Court on Wednesday, January 15, Judge Michael Auty described the assault as “despicable and vile” and “beyond rational understanding.”
He condemned Olatunji’s actions, saying: “You took it upon yourself to rape her in the most brutal, sadistic, and cruel way imaginable.”
Olatunji has also been placed on the Sex Offenders’ Register for life and is subject to an indefinite restraining order to protect the victim.
In a statement released on Thursday, Nottinghamshire Police commended the victim’s bravery and reaffirmed their commitment to supporting survivors of sexual violence.
Detective Constable Emily Bucklow, of Nottinghamshire Police, said: “The recorded evidence of Olatunji’s horrific assault made this case particularly harrowing for all the officers who worked on it.
“It is one of the most upsetting things I have had to listen to in my policing career and only enhances my admiration for this victim’s bravery.
“I would also like to commend her for the courage she showed following Olatunji’s arrest and dignity during the subsequent court proceedings,” Emily said.
The detective said, “He subjected her to a violent, degrading and sustained ordeal but she has shown immense bravery to help us bring him to justice.
“I hope the sentence handed down will at least provide some closure to what must have been an acutely distressing period of her life.
“I also hope the sentencing of Olatunji will encourage other victims of rape and serious sexual assault to have the confidence to come forward and report offenders.
“Our experienced officers are here to help the victims of appalling crimes like this,” Emily added.
News
Tinubu Exhausted N9.74bn Supplying Rice, Beans Palliatives To Nigerians In 2024 – Report
By Kayode Sanni-Arewa
The President Bola Tinubu-led Nigerian government reportedly spent a total of N9.74billion for the procurement and distribution of food items as part of its efforts to mitigate the nationwide food crisis in 2024.
This was revealed by BudgIT on its platform, GovSpend, a civic-tech organisation advocating for transparency and accountability.
According to the report, a large portion of the funds was dedicated to supplying essential food staples such as rice, beans, maize, and other commodities.
The report showed that the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security led the initiatives, making multiple payments to contractors responsible for the emergency supply of palliative foodstuffs to various federal constituencies.
Key transactions included payments for the delivery of rice, beans, and garri to help alleviate hunger in vulnerable communities.
Payments, averaging around N85.45 million per constituency, were made between February and November 2024 across different regions.
Data from the platform reportedly indicate that N85,454,545.46 was spent on each constituency in states including Kano, Ogun, Osun, Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Adamawa, Kaduna, Jigawa, Ekiti, Oyo, Lagos, Bauchi, Rivers, Borno, Sokoto, and Enugu, bringing the total expenditure to N9.74 billion.
However, despite the significant financial outlay, there are concerns about the programme’s effectiveness in addressing the root causes of food insecurity.
Shedrach Israel, an economist at Lotus Beta Analytics, argued that food palliatives alone cannot solve Nigeria’s food crisis, according to PUNCH.
“While food palliatives are essential for addressing immediate hunger, they fail to address the underlying systemic issues, such as inflation and the deficiencies in the agricultural sector,” Israel said.
Israel added, “We need long-term economic policies focused on boosting local agricultural productivity and improving distribution networks to reduce dependence on external food aid.”
Israel further said that the N9.74 billion spent on palliatives could have been better invested in agricultural innovation and infrastructure development, which would provide sustainable solutions to food insecurity.
Also, La’ah Dauda, an agricultural economist based in Kaduna, emphasised the need for a more comprehensive approach to addressing the food crisis.
“The government’s reliance on palliatives is a short-term fix to a deeper agricultural crisis. While necessary, these measures do not tackle critical issues like inadequate irrigation, poor storage facilities, and limited market access, all of which continue to impede agricultural productivity across the country,” he said.
News
SEE Dollar (USD) to Naira Black Market Rate Today January 18, 2025 Aboki
By Kayode Sanni-Arewa
As of January 18, 2025, the Nigerian Naira (NGN) has continued to experience some level of volatility against the US Dollar (USD), while this has been the norm for decades now, this largely to some extent reflects the ongoing economic challenges.
See the Naira performance across various currencies
A quick check at the parallel market at Abuja Zone 4 market,as at January 18, 2025 , the black market exchange rate stands firmly at approximately ₦ 1,682.00 per USD. This means if you want to buy a dollar now, it is ₦ 1,682.00 while if you want to sell it is approximately ₦ 1,670.00 .
Please be aware that the parallel market or the black market rates are mostly and notably higher compared with what you get from the official market or CBN rate
Dollar to Naira (USD to NGN) Black Market Exchange Rate Today
Selling Rate ₦ 1,682.00
Buying Rate ₦ 1,670.00
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