Trump backer Timothy Mellon identified as donor of $130m for US troop pay during government shutdown

<p>Reclusive Republican billionaire is descendant of gilded age industrialist and former treasury secretary Andrew Mellon</p><p>A reclusive billionaire, anti-tax crusader and major financial backer of <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/donaldtrump">Donald Trump</a> has been named as the anonymous private donor who gave $130m to the government to help pay US troops during the federal shutdown that is now in its fourth week, according to the <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/25/us/politics/timothy-mellon-donation-troops.html">New York Times</a>.</p><p>Timothy Mellon, heir to the gilded age industrialist and former treasury secretary Andrew Mellon, is the secret donor whom Trump has described as a “friend”, “great American” and “patriot”, but has refused to name, the Times reported on Saturday, citing two anonymous sources familiar with the arrangement.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/oct/25/timothy-mellon-donor-military-pay-shutdown">Continue reading...</a>