Big Money GOP Donors Streaming Back To Trump As He Extends Lead Over GOP Rivals

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OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author’s opinion.


Former President Donald Trump did not have a good week in courtrooms around the country, but his campaign got some good news.

After shying away from him for months, big-money GOP donors now appear to be moving back to Trump after he continues to extend his lead over his 2024 Republican primary rivals, according to NBC News.

“There is no doubt in my mind that Donald Trump will be the nominee of our party,” Ed Broyhill, a longtime GOP donor who was Trump’s North Carolina finance chairman in 2020, told the outlet. “The grassroots are a solid foundation for Donald Trump.”

Earlier in the year, Broyhill said he was considering throwing his support behind other GOP candidates, such as Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis or former Vice President Mike Pence. But now, he says he is solidly behind Trump.

“I have met with all the candidates,” he said. “None are close to the level of support Trump has.”

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NBC News adds:

Broyhill is part of a notable slice of donors who helped fund Trump’s first two presidential campaigns but were, for various reasons, at least considering alternatives in the 2024 primaries. However, members of the group have started to once again write checks for Trump in recent months.

Among the biggest names on the list: Oklahoma oil and natural gas magnate Harold Hamm, who before having a falling out with Trump was once considered one of his top advisers on energy policy. Hamm previously contributed to former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley, and he co-hosted an Oklahoma City fundraiser for DeSantis this year.

Hamm’s Continental Resources chief communications officer Kristin Thomas told the outlet that her boss’s most recent contribution to Trump should not be viewed as him changing his position.

“He has supported a wide slate of candidates that he believes would make a good president,” Thomas said, adding that “nothing has changed.”

NBC noted further: “South Carolina hedge fund manager Scott Bessent, a past Trump supporter, gave to DeSantis and Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina this year before he cut Trump a check last month, Federal Election Commission records show. And Susan and Howard Groff, who were among Trump’s biggest California donors in 2020, gave to DeSantis, Pence and Scott this year before they wrote a check to Trump in late August.”

The remaining wealthy Trump allies in the business community have been lobbying once-loyal donors to come back, CNBC reported in September. Some of them, including New York Jets owner Woody Johnson and those close to him, have been working their phones and having meetings with donors who distanced themselves from Trump trying to entice them to come back.

One person close to Trump opined that “top business leaders and big money donors have now resigned themselves to Trump as the nominee” and will begin to flock to him again once he begins winning primary races that begin shortly after the New Year.

Part of the reason why Trump is regaining wealthy donors is their angst at President Joe Biden’s economic policies and his response to Hamas’ attacks against Israel. Others, however, are motivated by their desire to win back the White House and see Trump as their best shot for that to happen.

“Why? It is easy, I want to win,” one GOP donor who had been eyeing Scott and DeSantis for contributions told NBC News. The donor went on to say they have been poll-watching, and GOP voters are also embracing Trump again.

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“They are moving back to President Trump, and I want to win,” the donor said.

One Republican donor policy adviser said that some clients came into the 2024 presidential cycle with caution and would not commit to Trump early on, instead choosing to have their family offices meet with several candidates.

But the adviser said a shift had occurred. “They have realized it is Trump or bust,” he said.

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