History of Donald Trump's political donations
Last updated: October 26, 2016
Donald Trump donated $175,860 more to Democrats than Republicans from 1989 to 2010, but in 2011 his giving to Democrats significantly decreased. From 2011 to 2015, Republicans received $630,150 in donations from Trump, while Democrats received just $8,500.
What caused Trump’s decision to abandon the Democratic Party in 2011 and throw his full support behind Republicans is unclear. It could have been his desire to be taken seriously in the political world and gain influence within the Republican Party in preparation for a future presidential run, as New York Times reporters Maggie Haberman and Alexander Burns suggested in their outline of Trump’s effort to court members of the conservative establishment beginning in 2011.[1]
Despite his fiscal loyalty to Republicans after 2011, Trump was questioned about his political contributions to Democrats while on the campaign trail. During a June 2015 interview, Trump was asked why he donated to the Clinton Foundation and other prominent Democrats, including Hillary Clinton (N.Y.), Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (Nev.), John Kerry (Mass.), and Rahm Emanuel (Ill.), President Obama's White House chief of staff, among others.
Trump replied, “Look, politicians are all talk, they’re no action. They don’t do the job, they don’t know what they’re doing. I know them better than anybody, Howie. I deal with all of them. And, you know, I make contributions to many of them. They’re friends, they’re this. It’s smart. It’s called being an intelligent person and a great business person. ... But the truth is that, you have to be able to get along with—if you’re gonna be a business person, even in the United States, you wanna get along with all sides because you’re gonna need things from everybody. And you wanna get along with all sides, it’s very important.”[2]
A breakdown of Trump's political giving can be seen below. The data does not include money that Trump may have donated to super PACs because those donations can be anonymous.
Trump's political contributions
Trump's political contributions data is from OpenSecrets.org and FollowTheMoney.org.[2][3] A breakdown of the data can be viewed here.
| Donald Trump's political donation history | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Type | Republicans | Democrats | Total |
| Federal Contributions | $718,300 | $328,600 | $1,046,900 |
| State Contributions | $432,240 | $366,150 | $798,390 |
| Total Federal and State Contributions | $1,150,540 | $694,750 | $1,845,290 |
| Federal Contributions, 1989-2010 | $294,000 | $328,600 | $622,600 |
| Federal Contributions, 2011-Present | $424,300 | $0 | $424,300 |
| State Contributions, 1989-2010 | $226,390 | $367,650 | $594,040 |
| State Contributions, 2011-Present | $205,850 | $8,500 | $214350 |
| Notable donations to federal-level Democrats | ||
|---|---|---|
| Name | Number of donations | Total |
| Charlie Rangel (N.Y.) | 14 | $15,750 |
| Chuck Schumer (N.Y.) | 9 | $8,900 |
| Hillary Clinton (N.Y.) | 8 | $8,700* |
| Harry Reid (Nev.) | 4 | $7,400 |
| John Kerry (Mass.) | 7 | $5,500 |
| Anthony Weiner (N.Y.) | 2 | $4,300 |
| Joe Biden (Del.) | 1 | $1,000 |
*Two donations totaling $4,000 were refunded.
| Notable donations to federal-level Republicans | ||
|---|---|---|
| Name | Number of donations | Total |
| John McCain (Ariz.) | 7 | $10,600* |
| Frank LoBiondo (N.J.) | 12 | $8,250 |
| Mitch McConnell (Ky.) | 3 | $6,200** |
| Lindsey Graham (S.C.) | 1 | $2,600 |
| George W. Bush (Texas) | 1 | $2,000 |
*Two donations of $1,000 were refunded. **One donation of $1,000 was refunded.
| Notable donations to state-level Democrats | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Year | Total | Result of Race |
| Andrew Cuomo (N.Y.) | 2010 | $30,800 | Governor, Won general |
| Ed Rendell (Pa.) | 2002 | $27,000 | Governor, Won general |
| Terry McAuliffe (Va.) | 2009 | $25,000 | Governor, Lost primary |
| Andrew Cuomo (N.Y.) | 2006 | $20,000 | Attorney General, Won general |
| Eliot Spitzer (N.Y.) | 2002 | $11,000* | Attorney General, Won general |
| Andrew Cuomo (N.Y.) | 2002 | $6,000 | Governor, Lost general |
| Kamala D. Harris (Calif.) | 2014 | $6,000 | Attorney General, Won general |
| Rod Blagojevich (Ill.) | 2002 | $5,000 | Governor, Won general |
| Ed Rendell (Pa.) | 2006 | $5,000 | Governor, Won general |
*The full $11,000 contribution was refunded.
| Notable donations to state-level Republicans | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Year | Total | Result of Race |
| Greg Abbott (Texas) | 2014 | $35,000 | Governor, Won general |
| Terry Branstad (Iowa) | 2014 | $25,000 | Governor, Won general |
| Bob McDonnell (Va.) | 2009 | $25,000 | Governor, Won general |
| George Pataki (N.Y.) | 1998 | $23,500 | Governor, Won general |
| George Pataki (N.Y.) | 2002 | $20,000 | Governor, Won general |
| Scott Walker (Wis.) | 2014 | $10,000 | Governor, Won general |
| Nikki Haley (S.C.) | 2014 | $3,500 | Governor, Won general |
| Nikki Haley (S.C.) | 2010 | $3,500 | Governor, Won general |
| Mike Pence (Ind.) | 2012 | $2,500 | Governor, Won general |
| George W. Bush (Texas) | 1998 | $1,000 | Governor, Won general |
| Jeb Bush (Fla.) | 2002 | $500 | Governor, Won general |
| Donald Trump's political donation history by year | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Federal Contributions to Democrats | Federal Contributions to Republicans | State Contributions to Democrats | State Contributions to Republicans |
| 2015 | $0 | $25,400 | $0 | $0 |
| 2014 | $0 | $118,700 | $8,500 | $197,850 |
| 2013 | $0 | $93,600 | $0 | $0 |
| 2012 | $0 | $146,300 | $0 | $3,000 |
| 2011 | $0 | $40,300 | $0 | $5,000 |
| 2010 | $16,800 | $82,900 | $62,450 | $38,000 |
| 2009 | $5,400 | $0 | $30,000 | $26,000 |
| 2008 | $31,900 | $33,350 | $60,000 | $0 |
| 2007 | $10,000 | $13,000 | $0 | $0 |
| 2006 | $31,200 | $11,000 | $35,500 | $14,000 |
| 2005 | $22,400 | $9,250 | $0 | $25,000 |
| 2004 | $26,000 | $6,000 | $1,250 | $5,000 |
| 2003 | $15,500 | $12,750 | $0 | $5,000 |
| 2002 | $33,000 | $8,000 | $85,550 | $33,000 |
| 2001 | $7,000 | $12,500 | $0 | $11,000 |
| 2000 | $12,750 | $5,000 | $5,900 | $5,800 |
| 1999 | $12,150 | $10,250 | $0 | $500 |
| 1998 | $21,500 | $42,500 | $66,000 | $61,090 |
| 1997 | $7,000 | $7,500 | $1,000 | $2,000 |
| 1996 | $9,000 | $13,000 | $0 | $0 |
| 1995 | $8,000 | $8,000 | $0 | $0 |
| 1994 | $23,750 | $1,750 | $0 | $0 |
| 1993 | $17,000 | $1,250 | $0 | $0 |
| 1992 | $2,000 | $1,000 | $0 | $0 |
| 1991 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| 1990 | $9,750 | $1,000 | $10,000 | $0 |
| 1989 | $6,500 | $14,000 | $0 | $0 |
| Total | $328,600 | $718,300 | $366,150 | $432,240 |
Contributions to New York politicians
Trump has donated $553,390 to New York politicians, and $344,900 of that has gone to Democrats. When asked why he has supported more Democrats than Republicans in his home state, Trump replied, “I am a businessman. And when, you know, a Speaker of the House or head of the Senate or, you know, people call, you know, I generally speak. As a businessman, you wanna be friendly with everybody. ... I’m a conservative Republican, but I get along with everybody. And I’ve contributed to people that are Democrats and I’ve contributed to many people. Now in New York, you know, when you look at Governor when you look at Mayor, it’s very rare that you ever see Republicans in New York. You don’t even see them, they’re like a—they’re like a you know 1% of the vote. It’s like a very, very—and I’m not sure exactly what the percentage is but you get very, very little.”[2]
Trump’s last contribution to a Democratic member of Congress was Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (N.Y.). In September 2010, he made two donations of $2,400 to her campaign.[4] His last contribution to the Democratic Party was $10,000 to the Democratic Cmte of New York State in September 2010.[3]
Trump's political contributions by year, 1989-2015
Trump's federal and state contributions, 1989-2015
Trump's federal contributions, 1989-2015
Trump's state contributions, 1989-2015
Trump's contributions to politicians with ethics violations
Name: Charles Rangel (D-N.Y.), New York's 13th Congressional District
Trump's Contribution: Trump made 14 separate contributions to Rangel totaling $15,750.
Ethics violation: Rangel, who served on the Joint Committee on Taxation, the congressional committee that writes tax code, "failed to report $75,000 income from the rental of his villa in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic."[5]
Status: Rangel continued to serve in Congress after paying $11,000 in back taxes.
Name: Former Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-N.Y.), New York's 9th Congressional District
Trump's Contribution: Trump made two separate donations to Weiner totaling $4,300.
Ethics violation: "A newly married U.S. Representative, Weiner admitted to sending sexually suggestive photos of himself to several women through his Twitter account."[6]
Status: "He resigned from Congress on June 16, 2011, but kept sexting after his resignation."[6]
Name: Former Gov. Eliot Spitzer (D-N.Y.)
Trump's Contribution: In 2002, Trump donated $11,000 to Spitzer. The donation was later refunded.
Ethics violation: On March 10, 2008, The New York Times reported that Spitzer had patronized a high-priced prostitution service called Emperors Club VIP and met for over two hours with a $1,000-an-hour call girl.[7][8]
Status: Spitzer resigned on March 17, 2008.[9]
Name: Former Gov. Rod Blagojevich (D-Ill.)
Trump's Contribution: In 2002, Trump donated $5,000 to Blagojevich.
Ethics violation: On June 27, 2011, Blagojevich "was found guilty of 17 charges (including wire fraud, attempted extortion, and conspiracy to solicit bribes)."[10]
Status: "On December 7, 2011, Blagojevich was sentenced to 14 years in prison."[10]
Name: Former Gov. Bob McDonnell (R-Va.)
Trump's Contribution: In 2009, Trump donated $25,000 to McDonnell.
Ethics violation: In 2014, a jury found McDonnell guilty of conspiring to take cash and gifts from the owner of Star Scientific in exchange for promoting a dietary supplement.[11]
Status: On August 28, 2015, the U.S. Supreme Court granted McDonnell's request to remain out of prison while his lawyers appealed his guilty verdict and two-year prison sentence for corruption. The justices overruled, without comment, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit order that McDonnell report to prison during the appeal process.[11]
Name: Former Sen. John Ensign (R-Nev.)
Trump's Contribution: In 2000, Trump donated $1,000 to Ensign.
Ethics violation: In 2008, Ensign had an affair with his campaign aide Cynthia Hampton. He then paid Hampton and her husband, Douglas Hampton, who was one of Ensign's staffers, $96,000 to keep the affair a secret. In addition, Ensign helped Douglas Hampton find a lobbying job.[12]
Status: Ensign resigned in 2011. Douglas Hampton pleaded guilty to violating a lobbying law, but Ensign was never prosecuted.[12]
Name: Former Rep. Dan Rostenkowski (D-Ill.), Illinois' 5th Congressional District
Trump's Contribution: In 1994, Trump made two separate donations of $1,000 each to Rostenkowski.
Ethics violation: "In 1994, Mr. Rostenkowski was formally charged with 17 counts of abusing his Congressional payroll by paying at least 14 people who did little or no official work; trading stamp vouchers for at least $50,000 in cash; misusing his office’s expense accounts to charge Congress for $40,000 in furniture and fine china and crystal; misusing personal vehicles and paying for them with $70,000 in House funds; and obstruction of justice."[13]
Status: Rostenkowski "was convicted of fraud and sentenced to 18 months in prison, in 1995."[14]
Recent news
This section links to a Google news search for the term Donald + Trump's + Political + Donations
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ The New York Times, "Donald Trump’s Presidential Run Began in an Effort to Gain Stature," accessed March 31, 2016
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 BuzzFeed, "Trump On Donating To Democrats: As A Business Person, 'You’re Gonna Need Things From Everybody,'" accessed March 26, 2016
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 [{1| FollowTheMoney.org, "Donald Trump," accessed March 26, 2016
- ↑ OpenSecrets.org, "Donald Trump's Contributions," accessed March 26, 2016
- ↑ The Fiscal Times, "20 Outrageous Political Scandals from the Last 25 Years: Rangel," accessed March 31, 2016
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 The Fiscal Times, "20 Outrageous Political Scandals from the Last 25 Years: Weiner," accessed March 31, 2016
- ↑ The New York Times, "Four Charged With Running Online Prostitution Ring," accessed April 1, 2016
- ↑ The New York Times, "Spitzer Is Linked to Prostitution Ring," accessed April 1, 2016
- ↑ The Fiscal Times, "20 Outrageous Political Scandals from the Last 25 Years: Spitzer," accessed March 31, 2016
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 The Fiscal Times, "20 Outrageous Political Scandals from the Last 25 Years: Blagojevich," accessed March 31, 2016
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 Governing.com, "Court Grants Ex-Gov. McDonnell Freedom While Corruption Case Continues," September 1, 2015
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 The New York Times, "Documents Reveal Details of F.B.I. Inquiry Into Nevada Senator," accessed April 1, 2016
- ↑ The New York Times, "Dan Rostenkowski, Lawmaker, Is Dead at 82," accessed April 1, 2016
- ↑ The Fiscal Times, "20 Outrageous Political Scandals from the Last 25 Years: Rostenkowski," accessed March 31, 2016
