Foreign
Billionaires, celebrities endorsing Donald Trump, Kamala Harris
By Francesca Hangeior.
As the 2024 United States presidential election approaches, candidates Kamala Harris and Donald Trump have secured notable endorsements from celebrities and billionaires alike.
The upcoming election, the 60th presidential election in the United States, is scheduled for Tuesday, November 5, 2024.
Using data from the Federal Election Commission as of September, Bloomberg examined the contributions of individuals on the Bloomberg Billionaires Index to the Harris and Trump campaigns.
Trump leads the fundraising race, receiving at least $281 million from billionaire donors. In contrast, Harris has garnered at least $66.2 million from donors, including contributions rolled over from supporters of Joe Biden after he suspended his campaign.
A significant portion of Trump’s funding comes from two major donors: Elon Musk and Miriam Adelson, who each contributed over $100 million.
Harris’s wealthiest supporters include Meta co-founder Dustin Moskovitz and Netflix Chairman Reed Hastings.
Find below the list of the richest Americans supporting each candidate as reported by Bloomberg.
DONALD TRUMP BILLIONAIRE ENDORSEMENTS
The CEO of Tesla, Elon Musk: Net Worth – $270.3 billion | Donations – $100 million+
Chairman of Blackstone, Stephen Schwarzman: Net Worth – $54.2 billion | Donations – $419,600
Chairman of Interactive Brokers, Thomas Peterffy: Net Worth – $44.9 billion | Donations – $844,000
Majority shareholder of Las Vegas Sands, Miriam Adelson: Net Worth – $37.5 billion | Donations – $100 million+
Founder and owner of Hilcorp Energy, Jeff Hildebrand: Net Worth – $18.3 billion | Donations – $515,000
Co-founder of WhatsApp, Jan Koum: Net Worth – $17.3 billion | Donations – $5.1 million
Chairman of Continental Resources, Harold Hamm: Net Worth – $14.5 billion | Donations – $1.2 million
Chairman and sole owner of ABC Supply, Diane Hendricks: Net Worth – $14.3 billion | Donations – $15 million
Chairman and CEO of Fertitta Entertainment, Tilman Fertitta: Net Worth – $13.8 billion | Donations – $487,000
Founder and president of Beal Financial, Andy Beal: Net Worth – $13.6 billion | Donations – $2 million
Co-founder and CEO, Apollo Global Management Marc Rowan: Net Worth – $10.2 billion | Donations – $1 million
Owner of New York Jets, Woody Johnson IV: Net Worth – $8.8 billion | Donations – $2 million
Founder and CEO, Pershing Square, Bill Ackman: Net Worth – $7.7 billion | Donations – $419,000
Founder of TD Ameritrade, Joe Ricketts: Net Worth – $7.7 billion | Donations – $867,900
Co-founder of Home Depot, Bernie Marcus: Net Worth – $7.5 billion | Donations – $1 million
Chairman and largest shareholder of Energy Transfer LP, Kelcy Warren: Net Worth – $7.4 billion | Donations – $10 million
President and chairman of Majestic Realty, Edward Roski: Net Worth – $7.3 billion | Donations – $100,000
Chairman and CEO of Rollins Inc., Gary Rollins: Net Worth – $6.8 billion | Donations – $12,500
Trump has attracted a range of celebrity endorsements, particularly from the film and television industry. Actors such as Jon Voight, Dennis Quaid, and Mel Gibson have expressed their support for the former president, along with familiar faces like Zachary Levi and Rosanne Barr.
In the music space, Trump has found allies in artists like Kid Rock and Jason Aldean, who have openly backed his candidacy, along with endorsements from Amber Rose and Azealia Banks.
The sports community has also rallied behind Trump, with endorsements from boxing legend Mike Tyson and former pro wrestler Hulk Hogan, as well as notable athletes like Lawrence Taylor and Danica Patrick.
KAMALA HARRIS BILLIONAIRE ENDORSEMENTS
Co-founder of Microsoft, Bill Gates: Net Worth – $160.2 billion | Donations – $50 million
Grandson of Walmart founder Sam Walton, Lukas Walton: Net Worth – $36.4 billion | Donations – $416,000
Former CEO of Alphabet, Eric Schmidt: Net Worth – $32.3 billion | Donations – $1.6 million
Co-founder of Meta Platforms, Dustin Moskovitz: Net Worth – $26.6 billion | Donations – $38 million
Daughter-in-law of Walmart founder Sam Walton, Christy Walton: Net Worth – $16.4 billion | Donations – $25,000
Former co-chair of Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Melinda French Gates: Net Worth – $15 billion | Donations – $920,000
Daughter of Ned Johnson III, former chairman of Fidelity Investments, Elizabeth Johnson: Net Worth – $13.2 billion | Donations – $200,000
Founder of Emerson Collective and wife of the late Steve Jobs, Laurene Powell Jobs: Net Worth – $11.6 billion | Donations – $2 million
Founder and majority owner of DE Shaw & Co., David Shaw: Net Worth – $10.7 billion | Donations – $295,000
Filmmaker, Steven Spielberg: Net Worth – $9.6 billion | Donations – $1.5 million
President and chief operating officer of Blackstone, Jon Gray: Net Worth – $9.4 billion | Donations – $500,000
Wife of the late Charles Schusterman, founder of Samson Investment, Lynn Schusterman: Net Worth – $8.9 billion | Donations – $5,575
Co-founder of Airbnb, Joe Gebbia: Net Worth – $8.3 billion | Donations – $20,000
Shareholder of Stryker Corp., Pat Stryker: Net Worth – $8.1 billion | Donations – $500,000
Former chief scientist and vice president of Renaissance Technologies, Henry Laufer: Net Worth – $8 billion | Donations – $1 million
Chairman and co-founder of Kleiner Perkins, John Doerr: Net Worth – $7.9 billion | Donations – $1.3 million
Co-owner of Dallas Mavericks, Mark Cuban: Net Worth – $7.8 billion | Donations – Not yet
Co-founder and executive vice president, SAS Institute, John Sall: Net Worth – $7.7 billion | Donations – $82,000
Former executive vice chairman of Blackstone, Tony James: Net Worth – $7.2 billion | Donations – $250,000
Wife of the late Ross Perot, Margot Perot: Net Worth – $7 billion | Donations – $20,000
Son of investor and music composer J. Paul Getty, Gordon Getty: Net Worth – $6.7 billion | Donations – $1.8 million
Founder of Soros Fund Management, George Soros: Net Worth – $6.5 billion | Donations – $1.8 million
Co-founder of Netflix, Reed Hastings: Net Worth – $6.5 billion | Donations – $6.9 million
Shareholder of Cox Enterprises, James Cox Chambers: Net Worth – $5.7 billion | Donations – $1.2 million
Shareholder of Cox Enterprises, Katharine Rayner: Net Worth – $5.7 billion | Donations – $300,000
KAMALA HARRIS CELEBRITY ENDORSEMENTS
In the music industry, Harris has received support from stars like Taylor Swift, who endorsed her after a debate, and Beyoncé, who featured her song “Freedom” in Harris’s campaign. Other notable artists advocating for her include Eminem, Cher, Lizzo, Nicky Jam, and Don Omar.
In Hollywood, high-profile actors such as Leonardo DiCaprio, Julia Roberts, George Clooney, and Jennifer Lawrence have publicly backed her, alongside influential figures like Octavia Spencer, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Mindy Kaling.
The sports world has also shown strong support, with endorsements from NBA coach Steve Kerr and star playerS Steph Curry and Lebron James. Legendary athletes like Billie Jean King and Magic Johnson further bolster her appeal in this arena.
Despite a judge’s order that “all parties must be present,” Tesla founder, X owner and billionaire Elon Musk did not appear in a Philadelphia courtroom Thursday after District Attorney Larry Krasner sued him over his super PAC’s plan to award $1 million a day to voters in key battleground states in the 2024 election.
Krasner and members of his office joined attorneys for Musk in Judge Angelo Foglietta’s civil courtroom at City Hall for a hearing Thursday at 10 a.m. ET.
Musk’s attorneys filed documents Wednesday night in the U.S. District Court in Philadelphia, a federal court, requesting the matter be moved to their jurisdiction – and out of the local Court of Common Pleas. A judge granted that transfer.
Attorneys for Krasner said they would contest that recommendation.
“We will proceed to federal court and seek to address the issues there and have them addressed in state court. This is a case that addresses state law issues, and I’ll leave it at that,” said attorney John Summers.
Musk who has campaigned with former President Donald Trump, has donated tens of millions of dollars to America PAC, a super PAC formed this summer to support the Republican candidate.
The lottery award goes to signers of a petition asking voters to support free speech and the right to bear arms. According to the super PAC’s website, at least 12 people have received $1 million awards, including four from Pennsylvania.
The Philadelphia District Attorney is charged with protecting the public from public nuisances and unfair trade practices, including illegal lotteries. The DA is also charged with protecting the public from interference with the integrity of elections,” Krasner said in a statement after the civil suit was announced.
Days before Krasner filed the suit, the Justice Department sent a letter to the super PAC warning that it may be violating federal laws about paying voters.
A hotel collapse in Villa Gesell, Argentina has resulted in one confirmed fatality and numerous individuals believed to be trapped beneath the rubble.
The 10-storey Dubrovnik Hotel collapsed early on Tuesday, according to reports. The hotel, which was undergoing renovations, is thought to have had up to 15 occupants at the time of the incident.
Rescue teams are currently on-site, working to free those who may be trapped. Local reports indicate that an elderly man in his 80s has perished in the collapse.
Municipal authorities had ordered a halt to the construction work in August due to the renovations proceeding without the necessary permits. Despite this, neighbours reported that work continued in defiance of the suspension order.
Argentina’s National Security Minister, Patricia Bullrich, announced on X that two specialised rescue teams, including structural engineers, rescue specialists, and a dog unit trained for collapsed buildings, had been deployed to the site in Buenos Aires province. The teams have specialist machinery and resources to aid the rescue efforts.
Javier Alonso, the province’s Security Minister, informed local radio that four bricklayers working on the site had survived the collapse and were subsequently detained by police.
By Francesca Hangeior
Iran’s government has proposed to triple its military budget, its spokeswoman said Tuesday, as tensions with arch-rival Israel rise following recent tit-for-tat missile strikes.
Government spokeswoman Fatemeh Mohajerani outlined the move that would see “a significant increase of more than 200 per cent in the country’s military budget” at a news conference in Tehran.
She did not elaborate and Tehran has not disclosed any figures, but according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute think tank, Iran’s military spending in 2023 was about $10.3 billion.
The proposed budget will be debated, with lawmakers expected to finalise it in March.
Iran and Israel on Monday accused each other of endangering Middle East peace in a heated exchange at a UN meeting.
It came days after Israel carried out strikes on Iran in response to an October 1 missile barrage that the Islamic Republic launched against Israel.
Iran’s October 1 strike, involving 200 missiles, was in retaliation for attacks that killed the leaders of the Iran-backed groups Hamas and Hezbollah, as well as one of its own commanders.
“All efforts have been made to meet the country’s defence needs and special attention has been paid to this issue,” the government spokeswoman Mohajerani said.
The regional tensions flared after Israel launched a military offensive in the Gaza Strip to eliminate the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas in response to the unprecedented October 7, 2023 attacks on Israel.
Since last month, Israel has also been battling Lebanon’s Hezbollah movement.
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