Reclusive billionaire Timothy Mellon, a frequent financial supporter of President Donald Trump, made the anonymous private donation of $130 million to the U.S. government to help pay troops while the government shutdown continues, according to two sources said to be familiar with the situation.
The New York Times, reporting the development Saturday, said the two people spoke on the condition of anonymity because the donation had been made privately, but identified the donor as the banking heir and railroad magnate.
Trump, when announcing the money on Thursday night, named the person only as a “patriot” and a friend, and on Friday continued to decline identifying the donor, telling reporters on Air Force One that the person is a “great American citizen” and a “substantial man.”
“He doesn’t want publicity,” Trump said, adding that 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 White House has not confirmed the claims, reported The Times.
Mellon, 83, donated tens of millions of dollars to groups that supported Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign, including last year, when he gave $50 million to Make America Great Again Inc., a super PAC supporting the president in one of the largest single contributions that has been disclosed.
In all, Mellon donated at least $115 million to the super PAC, according to the Federal Election Commission.
Mellon is a grandson of the late Treasury Secretary Andrew W. Mellon, and until Trump was first elected, he had not been a prominent GOP donor.
He lives mainly in Wyoming, where he keeps a low profile despite his political spending.
Mellon is also a key supporter of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., donating millions of dollars to his presidential campaign last year and giving money to Children’s Health Defense, the secretary’s anti-vaccine group.
The Pentagon says it accepted the money for the troops under the “general gift acceptance authority,” but also has not identified the donor publicly.
Stella's Place 
Watch for legal challenges to the money being used for troop salaries:
Legal experts, however, have warned that the War Department can’t legally use the $130 million private donation to pay U.S. troops without congressional approval, as that would be a potential violation of the Antideficiency Act.
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I figured something like this would come up.
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“Reclusive billionaire Timothy Mellon, a frequent financial supporter of President Donald Trump, made the anonymous private donation of $130 million…..”
So much for being anonymous when his donation is broadcast to the world………
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“The New York Times, reporting the development Saturday, said the two people spoke on the condition of anonymity because the donation had been made privately, but identified the donor as the banking heir and railroad magnate.”Sounds like a couple of people need to be fired or, if they are not employees, de-friended and ghosted.
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