Mysterious Trump supporter gives $130 million to US military to pay troops during shutdown

An unnamed donor is giving $130 million (£100 million) to the Pentagon to help pay for US troops during the government shutdown, raising ethics concerns.

U.S. defense officials confirmed the gift, which President Donald Trump said would make up for a shortfall in pay for the nation’s 1.32 million service members, but declined to identify the donor.

However, Trump gave few clues, saying on Saturday that he is a “huge supporter of mine” and is a US citizen.

The government shut down more than three weeks ago after lawmakers failed to approve a funding deal. The Trump administration paid the troops last week by transferring $8 billion from military research, but it’s unclear what will happen in the next paycheck at the end of the month.

Now in its 26th day, the shutdown is on pace to become one of the longest in US history.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Sunday that the U.S. would likely be able to pay the military “from November.”

“But until November 15, our soldiers and servicemen who are willing to risk their lives will not be able to get paid,” he told Face the Nation, a talk show on CBS, the US news partner of the BBC. “What a shame.”

The next military paycheck is scheduled for Oct. 31, at the end of this week.

Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell told reporters Friday that the donation “was made on the understanding that it will be used to offset the cost of salaries and benefits to service members” and was authorized under the department’s “general gift acceptance authority.”

Trump indicated a donation would be made Thursday, while declining to name the donor, saying “he doesn’t really want the recognition.”

However, the New York Times identified the benefactor as Timothy Mellon, a billionaire and major financial supporter of Trump.

Mr Mellon is heir to his influential family’s $15bn (£11bn) fortune, according to Forbes, and was heavily involved in the US rail industry before recently becoming more politically active and donating $50m to a pro-Trump group.

Before leaving for Asia on Saturday, Trump told reporters at the White House that the donor was a “great gentleman,” a “patron,” a “patriot” and a “wonderful person” who “doesn’t want publicity.”

“He prefers not to be named, which is quite unusual in the world I come from,” Trump said. “In the world of politics, you want your name mentioned.”

“He put in $130 million to make sure — that’s a lot of money — to make sure the military gets paid, and he’s a big supporter of mine,” he continued.

The funds amount to about $100 per service member.

The White House was able to reallocate some military research funds to make the last military paycheck, while lawmakers in Congress have tried and so far failed to pass a bill to continue paying troops during the shutdown.

Most government employees have been fired or, in some cases, told to work without pay for the duration of the shutdown.

According to Defense Department rules, donations over $10,000 must be reviewed by ethics officials “to determine whether the donor is involved in any claims, procurement actions, litigation, or other specific matters involving the Department that should be addressed before a gift is accepted.”

Donations from non-US citizens require additional verification.

Although unusual, the Pentagon sometimes accepts gifts from donors, but these must usually be given to fund specific projects, such as a school, hospital, library, museum or cemetery.

Critics question why the US military accepts anonymous funds.

“Using anonymous donations to fund our military raises troubling questions about whether our own troops are at risk of literally being bought and paid for by foreign powers,” said Delaware Sen. Chris Coons, the top Democrat on the Senate Defense Appropriations Subcommittee.