Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

Major GOP Donor Just Explained How He's Spending His Tax Cut Refund and It's Not How Republicans Thought This Would Go

Major GOP Donor Just Explained How He's Spending His Tax Cut Refund and It's Not How Republicans Thought This Would Go
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell with members of the Republican senate leadership. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)

Well, that kind of backfired.

During the Obama administration, billionaire Seth Klarman gave more than $7 million to Republican candidates and political committees. His fortune helped fund the GOP takeover of the House and Senate.

But now under the administration of President Donald Trump, where republicans control all of the federal government, Klarman has changed his mind about supporting the GOP.


Since the 2016 presidential elections, Klarman gave about $222,000 to Democrats: 56 running for the House of Representatives and 22 to Senate races. The billionaire explained his decision in a statement to The Boston Globe.

The Republicans in Congress have failed to hold the president accountable and have abandoned their historic beliefs and values. For the good of the country, the Democrats must take back one or both houses of Congress.”

I received a tax cut I neither need nor want. I’m choosing to invest it to fight the administration’s flawed policies and to elect Democrats to the Senate and House of Representatives.”

Klarman plans to continue donating. He donated nearly $2 million to nonprofit organizations promoting gun control, protecting the environment, and bolstering the rule of law — all areas that Democrats claim are under attack under Trump.

In a year end letter from January 2017, the billionaire stated:

Many say reflexively that America and its institutions are strong, so strong that they will survive a Trump presidency. And they probably will. But democracy must never be taken for granted.”

Democracies are fragile and cannot be taken for granted. Democratic norms are crucial for the perpetuation of democracy. Political stability depends on the rule of law and adherence to precedent.”

“Personally, I’m troubled by Trump,” Klarman wrote.

“I’ve taken the view that each of us can be bystanders, or we can become upstanders. I choose to be an upstander.”

Governing is not a joke or a farce, and it is certainly not a reality show. Tragically, Donald Trump has displayed few of the character traits required in a US president, and no aptitude for or interest in developing them.”

Many traditional Republican big money donors express concern over Trump and the direction he’s taking the country, but most haven't changed their patterns of donating. But as Trump becomes increasingly volatile, talk of jumping ship grows.

“These guys, a lot of them, are fiscal conservatives, and the only thing they see coming out of Trump is the daily crazy tweets,” said Rick Wilson, a Florida Republican who does not support Trump. “The contempt for him is profound among the donor community.”

A spokesman for the National Republican Congressional Committee, which Klarman gave $200,000 since 2012, had no comment about Klarman’s change of heart. It will be hard to tell if Klarman is alone in his change of heart until more federal campaign contribution data becomes public.

The public are already commenting on Klarman's shift however.

More from People/donald-trump

Robert De Niro
Cindy Ord/Getty Images for SiriusXM

Robert De Niro's Daughter Publicly Comes Out As Trans In Powerful New Interview

Airyn De Niro, 29, daughter of actor Robert De Niro, has publicly come out as a trans woman in a new interview with Them.

Though parts of her journey have been previously reported, Airyn says this is the first time she’s truly felt “seen.”

Keep ReadingShow less
Howard Lutnick
MSNBC

Commerce Secretary Ripped For His Dystopian Vision Of Generations Of Families Working At U.S. Factories

MAGA Republican President Donald Trump's Commerce Secretary, Howard Lutnick, spoke on MSNBC about the Trump administration's version of the American dream.

It doesn't involve universal healthcare, a living wage, and access to food and housing.

Keep ReadingShow less
Pete Hegseth
Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

Hegseth Gets Hit With Awkward Fact-Check After Bragging About Ending 'Woke' Program

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth was swiftly fact-checked after he claimed in a post on X that he'd ended the "woke" Women, Peace & Security (WPS) program because it was an initiative created by the Biden administration.

For the political right, "wokeness" or "wokeism" generally refers to a left-leaning perspective that acknowledges the widespread existence of racism, sexism, and other forms of discrimination in American society.

Keep ReadingShow less
Donald Trump; Taylor Swift
Alex Wong/Getty Images; Kevin Mazur/Getty Images

Trump Made A Petty Dig At Taylor Swift During The Eagles' White House Visit—Because Of Course

President Donald Trump was called out after he made a petty dig at pop star Taylor Swift during his speech for the Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles' visit to the White House.

In a brief speech, Trump acknowledged the Eagles' 40–22 win over the Kansas City Chiefs was “a little surprising,” a remark that appeared to reference the Chiefs' consecutive Super Bowl victories in 2023 and 2024. He then shifted focus to Swift, getting in a petty swipe drawing attention to Swift's presence at the game to watch her boyfriend, Travis Kelce, play tight end for the losing team.

Keep ReadingShow less

Medical Professionals Break Down The Scariest Mental Health Conditions They've Seen

Being in healthcare is not an easy journey.

I know so many people who work in so many different areas of the healthcare system, and they are constantly stressed out.

Keep ReadingShow less