Member of one of the most powerful families in the US, Tim Mellon He lives in seclusion and never appears in public, but he is the man who has invested the most money in the presidential campaign.
Narragansett Runestone is a Viking patterned rock in Rhode Island. One night he disappeared, to the dismay of the neighbors, who immediately targeted the eccentric millionaire who had complained that the stone bothered him because it attracted too many tourists near his coastal estate.
As soon as the spotlights began to shine on him, the stone returned to its place. Everything was resolved with the utmost discretion, because if Tim Mellon flees from something, it is public attention, although in the shadows he likes to be at the center of power.
He is Donald Trump’s largest donor, although she has never been photographed with him. Not with anyone. Except for an interview with Bloomberg four years ago, He never appears in the media or at parties or meetings if his face is at risk of becoming public. The octogenarian lives practically secluded in his Wyoming mansion, although he has properties all over the country.
Born in 1942, Timothy Mellon comes from one of the most influential families in US history. A direct descendant of Thomas Mellon, who came to the US in 1818 and built the family fortune in real estate and banking, He inherited a vast fortune linked to the Bank of New York Mellon Corporation, one of the fifteen largest entities in the country.
In his lineage are important figures in the economic history of the United States, like his grandfather Andrew Mellon, Secretary of the Treasury between 1921 and 1932. If the Mellons are known for anything, it is for their historical ability to transform wealth into political and social power, although, in the case of Timothy, away from the public spotlight.
Railway
He studied urban planning at Yale University, where his father financed the construction of a center specializing in British art. In 1981, thanks to family support, he founded Guilford Transportation Industries, a rail transportation company with which he laid the foundations of his own personal empire. From that time it is one of the few images of Mellon that exist today.
Since he was young he had a passion for aviation. In 1998, he purchased Pan American World Airways, an iconic bankrupt airline that once dominated the US airline industry. That he is not a typical billionaire is clear when he became a commercial pilot for his own company, accumulating more than 11,500 flight hours.
A few years ago it also financed an expedition to search for the lost plane of Amelia Earhart, the first pilot to fly alone across the Atlantic and who disappeared while flying around the world in 1937.
After selling his railway company, all his attention is now focused on Tuesday’s elections. Not only is he Trump’s largest donor, with US$150 million, practically 45% of the money raised. It was also the same for Kennedy Jr, who was competing in the electoral race, although in the end he joined the Republican’s campaign when Kamala Harris entered the scene this summer.
In his history as a financial supporter of US politics, Mellon is a top donor to the Republican Party. He even gave more than US$50 million to build the famous border wall between Texas and Mexico. Although from time to time he also supports Democrats and in the beginning he opted for progressives. He switched sides in 1980, when Ronald Reagan ran for office.
Who has signed checks to the former president
Among the billionaires who have unconditionally supported Donald Trump, there are three names: Tim Mellon (Mellon bench), Miriam Adelson (Las Vegas Sand) and Linda McMahon (WWE). The first two total US$250 million and are the main financial pillars of the Republican candidate for the White House, who, although he has obtained many fewer donations from small voters than Kamala Harris, has obtained more succulent checks from the country’s great fortunes.
It is estimated that more than two-thirds of the money raised by the Trump campaign comes from contributions from billionaires. The trend accelerated as soon as Elon Musk, founder of Tesla and richest man on the planet, decided to support the former US president, directly contributing US$76 million.
This amount has grown in recent weeks, with the promise of drawing a million a day among those who sign a petition from his political action committee. Adding this amount, the owner of Tesla would be practically at the same level as Adelson in the ranking of taxpayers.
