Forbes found at least 100 billionaires in the corners of either former President Donald Trump or Vice President Kamala Harris—with many more backing Harris—but unlike the world’s richest man Elon Musk, who stumps extensively on Trump’s behalf, many have elected to watch from the sidelines, like Warren Buffett and Mark Zuckerberg.
Trump and Harris during their September presidential debate.
Our breakdown records 81 billionaires supporting Harris and 50 backing Trump so far (see the lists for both below).
Many more billionaires may still financially back a candidate, but their donations won’t be learned until after the election, when final Federal Election Commission reports are issued in December.
Billionaires leaning toward Harris may seem incongruous, since she often criticizes Trump for advocating for policies favorable toward billionaires—but there are practical reasons why the ultra wealthy may favor Harris.
A letter signed by more than a dozen billionaires last month endorsing Harris explained their belief Harris “will continue to advance fair and predictable policies that support the rule of law, stability, and a sound business environment,” indicating the support for the status quo as the U.S. economy and stock market exhibit strength, while a recent survey of millionaire investors—which found a 57% to 43% split in Harris’s favor—identified technology, healthcare and sustainability stocks as the sectors most poised to benefit from a Harris win, a mix friendly to many of her billionaire backers from Silicon Valley, who grew familiar with Harris during her time as a California prosecutor.
Forbes will update this list through Election Day.
Jeff Bezos, left, Larry Page, second from left, Sheryl Sandberg, former chief operating officer of ... [+]
Bill Gates: Though his ex-wife French Gates is among Harris’ deepest backers—her reported $13 million donation to Harris groups would place her among the top individual donors this cycle—the Microsoft cofounder Gates has not officially endorsed a candidate, but appeared to offer positive words toward Harris in a July interview, saying it is “great to have somebody who's younger, who can think about things like AI and how we shape that in the right way.” But “I don’t tell other people how to vote” due to his work with his nonprofit Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Gates added.
UPDATE (Oct. 22): Gates told allies he donated $50 million to the non-profit wing of a Democratic political action committee supporting Harris, The New York Times reported Tuesday, citing three sources familiar with the situation. The bombshell report goes against Gates’ history of public nonpartisanship. Though Gates did not confirm the donation to the Times, he hinted at his Harris backing in a statement, saying he supports “candidates who demonstrate a clear commitment to improving health care, reducing poverty and fighting climate change” and “this election is different” than those of the past.
Jamie Dimon: Trump shared a false social media post touting Dimon’s endorsement, but the CEO of JPMorgan Chase, the largest U.S. bank, did not endorse any candidate, according to his spokesperson. Still, some see hints in Dimon’s words. He’s been outspoken about the election, penning an opinion in The Washington Post calling on voters “to elect a president who is dedicated to the ideals that define and unite us.”
UPDATE (Oct. 22): The Times reported Dimon has privately endorsed Harris and has indicated he’s open to a role in her administration, including the top economic role of Treasury secretary. Dimon spokesman Joe Evangelisti told the Times the banker “has never publicly endorsed a presidential candidate.” Dimon’s wife, Judith Kent, has donated more than $250,000 to Democratic causes in 2024 through the couple’s joint The James and Judith K Dimon Foundation, according to Federal Election Commission filings. A source close to Dimon told Forbes that the JPMorgan chief is not considering a role in either a Harris or Trump administration.
Steve Ballmer, UPDATE (Oct. 22): Ballmer, the owner of the NBA’s Los Angeles Clippers and former chief executive of Microsoft, made clear in an interview with Forbes last week he will not endorse a candidate, though he has shelled out more than $40 million to his not-for-profit company USAFacts to arm the public with easily accessible government data. “At some point all the money does is help bid up the price of ads on Facebook,” Ballmer bemoaned to Forbes about the impact traditional political spending can have. Connie Ballmer, the wife of the world’s 10th-richest person, has donated more than $300,000 to Democratic causes this year, according to government records, but “I don't control my wife and would never want to,” Steve Ballmer added about what that indicates about his own leanings.
Jeff Bezos: The Amazon founder and world’s fourth-richest man wrote Trump “showed tremendous grace and courage under literal fire” following the assassination attempt at a July 13 rally, but Bezos has not endorsed or financially backed, even though he has publicly warred with Trump during his presidency. He celebrated Biden’s election in 2020 with an Instagram post noting the Biden win indicated “unity, empathy, and decency are not characteristics of a bygone era.”
Warren Buffett: Though Berkshire Hathaway CEO Buffett said in 2020 he’s a Democrat and clapped back at Trump in 2016 for an income tax jab, Buffett, the world’s sixth-richest person, has also stayed quiet this cycle.
UPDATE (Oct. 23): Berkshire released a statement Wednesday that Buffett won’t publicly “endorse and support political candidates.” Buffett explained to CNBC he’s “worried about people impersonating” him and “nobody should believe anybody saying I’m telling them how to...vote.”
Mark Zuckerberg: Trump told New York Magazine that Zuckerberg said to him he can’t “vote for a Democrat in this election” after the assassination attempt. But a Meta spokesperson said Zuckerberg, the third-wealthiest person on the planet, is “not endorsing anybody in this race and has not communicated to anybody how he intends to vote.” In 2020, Zuckerberg and his wife Priscilla Chan donated $419 million toward organizations supporting in-person voting during the pandemics. The Meta CEO and Facebook cofounder called Trump’s response to the assassination attempt “badass” in a July interview.
Ray Dalio: Dalio, founder of the world’s largest hedge fund Bridgewater Associates, told CNBC last month it’s the “most consequential” election of his, but he won’t endorse Harris or Trump as he desires a more moderate candidate.
Sergey Brin: The Google cofounder and eighth-wealthiest person in the world Brin said following the 2016 election he found Trump’s election “deeply offensive” as an immigrant, according to an internal video leaked in 2018, but has not made public any feelings during this cycle.
Larry Ellison and Ken Griffin: Ellison and Griffin are perhaps the most surprising billionaires who have stayed quiet in the final months of the presidential election cycle considering both have donated millions to Republican causes in the past. Griffin (Citadel) confirmed Thursday he has not financially backed Trump, adding he’s “torn” and won’t vote with a “smile on my face” as both candidates aren’t “going to receive an award for the quality of their policies” or “the quality of their leadership.” Ellison (Oracle), the second-richest person on earth, had backed Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.), while Griffin, the 39th-wealthiest, had been a Gov. Nikki Haley (R-S.C.) supporter.
A total of 81 billionaires (or more) are backing Harris. Forbes identified these 28 billionaires who donated $1 million toward groups supporting Harris through August:
Michael Bloomberg, left, and Harris appear together in 2023.
The following 36 billionaires made between $50,000 and $999,999 in donations to groups supporting Harris through August, according to Forbes’ analysis of FEC data:
Bloomberg reported these additional four billionaires have donated to Harris’ election funds or groups supporting Harris’ election:
These six billionaires signed a Sept. 6 open letter supporting Harris:
UPDATE (Oct. 16): And these three billionaires donated to a Harris committee during the third quarter, according to FEC filings analyzed by The New York Times:
And there's music stars Bruce Springsteen, who backed Harris Oct. 3, and Taylor Swift, who endorsed Harris Sept. 10.
A total of 51 billionaires have been identified as Trump backers. Forbes identified in August these 26 billionaires who had donated at least $1 million toward Trump election efforts:
Musk, right, jumps on stage as he joins Trump at a Saturday rally.
Another 16 billionaires gave between $50,000 and $999,999 to groups supporting Trump through that period:
UPDATE (Oct. 16): The New York Times named the following three billionaires as donating at least $100,000 to Trump groups last quarter:
And of course there’s Elon Musk (Tesla and SpaceX CEO), who gave $75 million last quarter to his pro-Trump America PAC, according to filings released Tuesday.
Other known Trump supporters include Jeff Hildebrand (Hilcorp), Isaac Perlmutter (Marvel Entertainment), Thomas Peterffy (Interactive Brokers) and Gary Rollins (Rollins Inc.), according to media reports and Bloomberg’s analysis of public election records last month.
UPDATE (Oct. 22): This article was updated to include Dimon’s reported private backing of Harris, Gates’ reported donation to Harris and Ballmer’s comments on political spending. In addition, the New Yorker recently reported activist investor Nelson Peltz hosted a February fundraiser for Trump, where Peltz reportedly quipped Trump is “a terrible human being, but our country’s in a bad place, and we can’t afford Joe Biden.” Peltz has not made public comment since Biden ceded way to Harris, and his Trian Partners asset manager did not return a request for comment.
A pair of other Wall Street billionaires have said the stock market is heavily leaning toward Trump in Daniel Loeb and Stanley Druckenmiller, though neither have publicly endorsed or made major donations toward a candidate. Fellow hedge fund billionaire Leon Cooperman told Fox Business he doesn’t plan to vote for either major candidate.
Kyle Khan-Mullins and Leo Kalmin contributed reporting.