The person who anonymously donated $130 million (about 187 billion won) to support service members whose pay was halted by the U.S. federal government "shutdown" (temporary work stoppage) has been identified as Timothy Mellon, an 83-year-old billionaire heir of the American Mellon family.
On the 25th (local time), the New York Times (NYT), citing two anonymous sources familiar with the matter, said the donor mentioned by President Donald Trump on the 23rd was Mellon. President Trump previously said an anonymous benefactor donated $130 million to cover service members' pay and welfare expense, refusing to disclose the identity on the grounds that "the donor does not want attention." He added, "In the political world I was in, this is quite rare."
Mellon is the grandson of Andrew Mellon, one of the richest figures in U.S. history and Treasury secretary in the 1920s. He is an heir to the Mellon family, which amassed vast wealth through banking and railroads. In 2024, Forbes estimated the Mellon family's net worth at $14.1 billion (about 20.3 trillion won). Mellon primarily resides in Wyoming and is known as a "reclusive tycoon" who avoids media exposure.
He is one of President Trump's key "money sources." According to the campaign finance watchdog OpenSecrets, Mellon made more than $165 million (about 237 billion won) in expenditure during the 2024 election cycle, placing him on the list of top donors. He donated $125 million (about 179 billion won) to the pro-Trump super PAC Make America Great Again (MAGA Inc). He also contributed $50 million (about 7.19 billion won) last year to a pro-Trump super PAC. In 2021, he gave $53 million to the fund for the border wall construction pushed by Texas Governor Greg Abbott.
Mellon's donations did not go only to President Trump. He contributed millions of dollars when Minister Robert F. Kennedy Jr. ran for president last year. He also funded Children's Health Defense, an anti-vaccine group led by Minister Kennedy.
In a memoir published in 2015, Mellon described himself as a "converted liberal." He said he left Connecticut for Wyoming in search of a place with lower taxes and fewer people. The memoir also contained material that could spark controversy over race issues. He wrote that after the expansion of social welfare programs in the 1960s and 1970s, "Black people became even more belligerent." He also referred to the social safety net as "slavery redux."