As the race for the US presidency in 2024 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 supporting 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 will not 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’s pro-billionaire policies, many ultra-wealthy individuals support her for practical reasons. A letter from more than a dozen billionaires endorsing Harris emphasized that she is expected to maintain “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 would flourish under a Harris presidency.
kamala harris supporter
Of the 76 billionaires who have endorsed Harris, 28 have donated $1 million or more to groups supporting her. Here are some notable names:
- Michael Bloomberg (Former Mayor of New York, Bloomberg)
- Arthur Blank (Atlanta Falcons)
- Reid Hoffman (LinkedIn)
- Vinod Khosla (Khosla Ventures)
- Dustin Moskowitz (Facebook)
- Steven Spielberg (Hollywood director)
Additionally, 36 billionaires contributed between $50,000 and $999,999. Some of these include:
- Tory Burch (fashion designer)
- Reed Hastings (Netflix)
- Chris Larsen (Ripple)
- Laurene Powell Jobs (Apple)
Additionally, 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 him.
Donald Trump’s billionaire supporters
Trump, who has positioned himself as a champion of the ultra-wealthy and the working class, has received significant endorsements from 49 billionaires. Notable supporters include:
- Miriam Adelson (Las Vegas Sands Corp.)
- Don Ahearn (Las Vegas production)
- Dianne Hendrix (ABC Supply)
- Linda McMahon (WWE)
- Steve Wynn (Wynn Resorts)
Another 16 billionaires have contributed between $50,000 and $999,999, including:
- Tilmon Fertitta (Houston Rockets)
- John Paulson (Paulson & Company)
- Thomas Siebel (Siebel Systems)
Trump’s supporters also include tech giant Elon Musk, who has been actively on his side, appearing at a rally and offering incentives to woo voters in the state through his political action committee.
Billionaires are staying neutral (for now)
While many billionaires are openly supporting Harris or Trump, others are keeping their distance for now:
- Amazon founder Jeff Bezos has praised Donald Trump’s resilience after being shot, but has not yet publicly endorsed a candidate.
- Warren Buffett is a well-known Democrat but has been silent this cycle.
- Mark Zuckerberg reportedly had private discussions with Donald Trump but has not endorsed either candidate.
- Bill Gates has not officially endorsed any candidate. However, in a July interview, he expressed positive sentiments towards Harris, saying, “It’s great to have someone who is young, who can think about things like AI and how do we shape it in the right way.” can give.”
- Jamie Dimon, CEO of JPMorgan Chase, the largest US bank, has not endorsed any candidate, according to his spokesperson. However, last week, Trump shared a false social media post claiming to support Dimon.
- Ray Dalio, founder of Bridgewater Associates, the world’s largest hedge fund, described the upcoming election as “the most important” of his life. Still, he has not endorsed Harris or Trump.
- Google co-founder Sergey Brin, who as an immigrant previously found Trump’s election “deeply offensive”, has kept his feelings private during this election cycle, making no public statements about the current candidates. .
- Larry Ellison and Ken Griffin: These two billionaires have remained surprisingly quiet in the final months before the election, despite their past financial support for Republican causes.
As the election approaches, more billionaires may reveal their preferences.
