The anonymous donor and friend of President Donald Trump who gave millions to help pay the US military amid the government shutdown is billionaire Timothy Mellon, according to a new report from the New York Times.

Trump first announced the $130 million donation on Thursday, saying the donor did not want to be identified. The president described the donor as a “friend of mine” and a “patriot.”

The Defense Department accepted the money “on the condition that it be used to offset the cost of service members’ salaries and benefits,” Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said. Defense budget analyst Todd Harrison told Politico that the sum would cover about a third of the daily pay of all active-duty service members.

On Saturday, the Times identified the mystery donor as Mellon, citing “two people familiar with the matter.” He is the grandson of financier and former US Treasury Secretary Andrew Mellon, and is heir to the Mellon family banking and railroad fortune.

During the 2024 election cycle, Timothy Mellon spent more than $165 million endorsing Republican candidates, including $125 million for a pro-Trump super PAC.

Timothy Mellon, seen here in 1981, was named by The New York Times as the wealthy heir who donated $130 million to the Department of Defense.
Timothy Mellon, seen here in 1981, was named by The New York Times as the wealthy heir who donated $130 million to the Department of Defense.

via News

Legal experts have warned that the $130 million donation may be a violation of the Antideficiency Act, which prohibits federal agencies from spending funds that have not been appropriated by Congress.