Who is Timothy Mellon, Trump's secret ally funding US troops amid shutdown?

Billionaire heir and reclusive Trump donor Timothy Mellon has been revealed as the anonymous benefactor funding US troop salaries during the ongoing federal government shutdown

Billionaire Timothy Mellon, a reclusive heir to the Mellon banking dynasty and a major financial backer of US President Donald Trump, has donated $130 million to help pay active-duty US troops during the ongoing government shutdown, according to The New York Times.

 

Trump announced the donation on Thursday, describing the benefactor as a “patriot”, a “great American citizen”, and a “substantial man” without revealing his identity. “He doesn’t want publicity,” Trump later said. “He prefers that his name not be mentioned, which is pretty unusual in the world I come from, and in the world of politics, you want your name mentioned.”

 

 

The New York Times identified the donor as Mellon, citing two anonymous sources familiar with the arrangement.

 

Who is Timothy Mellon?

 

Born in 1942, Timothy Mellon is the grandson of former US treasury secretary Andrew W Mellon, a Gilded Age industrialist and one of America’s wealthiest financiers. The Mellon family, whose wealth is estimated to be around $14 billion according to Forbes, remains among the nation’s richest dynasties.

 

After studying city planning at Yale University, Mellon founded Guilford Transportation Industries in 1981. The company acquired several major railroads across North America and later purchased the bankrupt Pan American World Airways in 1998. A passionate pilot, Mellon has logged more than 11,000 flight hours and once wrote that he “quite literally kept the American institution that is Pan Am flying".

 

Mellon’s past philanthropy includes a $1 million contribution to a 2012 expedition to find aviator Amelia Earhart’s missing aircraft, though the mission yielded no results.

 

Mellon’s ties to Trump

 

Mellon has emerged as one of the largest donors to conservative and populist causes in recent years. According to OpenSecrets, he contributed more than $165 million during the 2024 election cycle, including $125 million to Make America Great Again Inc, the Super PAC supporting Trump. He also donated to independent presidential candidate Robert F Kennedy Jr’s campaign and his organisation, Children’s Health Defence.

 

In 2021, Mellon gave $53 million to a fund launched by Texas Governor Greg Abbott to build a wall along the state’s border with Mexico.

 

Controversies and political beliefs

 

Mellon’s 2015 self-published memoir drew criticism for his remarks on US social welfare programmes, which he described as “Slavery Redux". The 83-year-old argued that Black voters were being “bought” with government benefits.

 

Despite his reclusive nature, Mellon’s financial influence in Republican politics has grown significantly. Once a modest donor, contributing $32,000 during Trump’s 2016 run, his support has surged to tens of millions.

 

The Pentagon confirmed that the donation had been accepted under its “general gift acceptance authority”. Sean Parnell, the Pentagon’s chief spokesperson, said the money would be used “to offset the cost of service members’ salaries and benefits”.

 

However, The New York Times, citing experts, reported that the contribution could violate the Antideficiency Act, which bars federal agencies from spending funds beyond congressional appropriations or accepting voluntary services, except during emergencies involving human safety or property protection. Violations of the Act may result in administrative penalties, fines, or imprisonment.

 

The White House referred questions about the legality of the donation to the US Treasury Department, which has not yet commented.