Trump transition donor list reveals 'who is buying the government'

A little over a year since he was reelected, the New York Times reports that the list of donors for President Donald Trump's transition efforts has finally seen the light of day. The list is notable for the presence of various billionaires, lobbyists, and future administration appointees, with one expert summing it up as a rundown of "who is buying the government."

In the past, prior incoming presidential administrations, including Trump's first, signed an agreement pledging to disclose their list of transition donors within 30 days of their inauguration in exchange for $7 million in federal funding and support from the General Services Administration. The second time around, however, Trump refused to sign the agreement, leaving the list shrouded in secrecy.

The agreement would have also capped donations at $5,000 and blocked donors from foreign countries. At the time, Trump's chief of staff Susie Wiles said the decision to forgo the agreement was made to “save taxpayers’ hard-earned money," while also pledging to release the list at a later date and ensure that no non-citizen donations were accepted.

On Wednesday, the New York Times released a report finally delving into the 46 names now disclosed by the Trump administration, roughly 10 months after the inauguration. The report highlighted two notable billionaires included in the list, Jeff Yass and Paul Singer. Yass is the co-founder of the trading firm Susquehanna International Group and an investor in TikTok. He has been credited with convincing Trump to soften his stance on a ban of TikTok in the U.S. Singer is a venture capitalist who founded Elliott Management, where he works as co-CEO.

Elsewhere on the list are numerous names of individuals who went on to receive appointments to key positions in the Trump administration. This includes former WWE executive and first-term cabinet member Linda McMahon, who now serves as Secretary of Education, leading the charge to try and disband the Department of Education altogether. There is also Howard Lutnick, who now serves as Trump's secretary of commerce.

"Steve Witkoff, Mr. Trump’s special envoy to the Middle East, donated, as did Stanley Woodward Jr., the third-ranking official in the Justice Department," the Times report explained. "Dominick Gerace II, who was sworn in as the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of Ohio in August, is also listed as a donor."

The report also noted several names on the list that match those of known lobbyists, but could not reach them to confirm.

“They claimed they were saving taxpayers money, but what they were doing was hiding the ball about who is buying the government,” Max Stier, the president of the nonprofit watchdog group Partnership for Public Service, said in a statement about the list to the Times.