Notable crypto industry donors supporting Trump's campaign
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Notable crypto industry donors supporting Trump's campaign
Donations from several cryptocurrency industry leaders or crypto-friendly individuals have come to light.
Navigating Web3 tides with focused insightsBy Weilin, PANews
Recently, two major fundraising channels for Trump—Super PACs named the Trump 47 Committee and America PAC—have filed donor disclosure reports with the U.S. Federal Election Commission (FEC), revealing contributions from several prominent figures in the crypto industry and crypto-friendly individuals.
Data shows that between April 1 and June 30, Cameron Winklevoss and Tyler Winklevoss were the top donors supporting Trump, contributing over $2.5 million. They are followed by Sequoia Capital partner Douglas Leone, former PayPal executives, and Kraken co-founders, among others.
As the U.S. presidential election draws closer, fundraising efforts for Trump are intensifying.
Based on publicly disclosed information, PANews has compiled a list of key known donors from the cryptocurrency sector supporting Trump’s campaign.
Winklevoss Brothers (Cameron Winklevoss, Tyler Winklevoss)
According to FEC records, Gemini exchange founders and Winklevoss Capital Management founders Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss jointly donated $2.027 million in BTC to the pro-Trump group Trump 47 Committee. However, due to federal individual donation limits, $310,800 will be refunded.
Additionally, each brother has separately donated $250,000 to America PAC.
Sequoia Capital Partner Douglas Leone
Doug Leone led venture capital firm Sequoia Capital as managing partner from 1996 to 2022. He stepped down from that role in 2022 but remains a general partner. During his tenure, Leone led investments in tech companies including Medallia, Rackspace, RingCentral, ServiceNow, and Nubank.
On June 4, he stated, “I am increasingly concerned about our country’s overall direction, the broken immigration system, ballooning deficits, and foreign policy missteps. Therefore, I am supporting former President Trump in the upcoming election.”
On June 14, he donated $1 million to America PAC.
Former Tesla Board Member, Valor Equity Partner and CEO Antonio Gracias
Antonio is founder, CEO, and Chief Investment Officer of Valor. He founded Valor in 1995 and has over 25 years of experience in private equity. Antonio served as a Tesla board member from 2007 to 2021.
On June 28, he donated $1 million to America PAC.
Palantir Technologies Co-Founder Joe Lonsdale
Joe Lonsdale is founder and managing partner at 8VC, an early-stage venture capital firm managing over $6 billion in assets. In 2003, he co-founded Palantir Technologies (NYSE: PLTR), a global software company renowned for supporting defense and intelligence operations for the United States and its allies.
Lonsdale previously stated that the convergence of artificial intelligence and cryptocurrency could benefit both industries, indicating Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Solana would gain from this synergy. On June 7, he donated $1 million to America PAC.
Founders Fund Co-Founder Kenneth Howery
Kenneth Howery is an American entrepreneur and diplomat. He is a co-founder of both PayPal and Founders Fund. From 2019 to 2021, he served as the U.S. Ambassador to Sweden under the Trump administration.
This time, on June 20 and June 21, he donated $1 million to America PAC.
Kraken Co-Founder Jesse Powell
Jesse Powell, co-founder of crypto exchange Kraken, began exploring digital currency as early as 2001. Before becoming a crypto OG, he was founder and CEO of Lewt, which provided account management and in-game currency services for players of Diablo II from 2001 to 2011. He also founded the Verge Gallery. After studying philosophy and embracing libertarian ideals, Powell quickly became a staunch supporter of cryptocurrencies shortly after Bitcoin’s emergence. He founded Kraken in 2011.
On June 28, he posted on X: “I’m proud to join other leaders in our community in uniting behind the only major party candidate in the 2024 presidential election who supports cryptocurrency, so that America can maintain its leadership in blockchain technology.” That day, he donated ETH worth $845,000.
Sequoia Capital Investor Shaun Maguire
Shaun Maguire is a partner at Sequoia Capital. Previously, he co-founded Expanse, which was acquired by Palo Alto Networks for $800 million. He was also previously a partner at GV.
On May 31, within minutes of the announcement that Trump had been found “guilty” in his hush money trial, Maguire announced a $300,000 donation to Trump, calling the verdict unfair. Maguire published a lengthy post on X outlining multiple reasons for supporting Trump, including criticism of the Biden administration’s handling of the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan and perceived “weakness” in the Middle East.
Maguire added that the various legal cases against Trump represent a “radicalized process.” “It’s entirely possible that President Trump could be convicted of a felony and sent to prison,” he wrote. “Frankly, that’s partly why I support him. I believe our judicial system is being weaponized against him.”
Later, on June 18, he donated $500,000 to America PAC.
Ripple Chief Legal Officer Stuart Alderoty
Stuart Alderoty is Ripple’s Chief Legal Officer, overseeing the company’s legal, compliance, and regulatory affairs. With over 30 years of legal experience, Stuart specializes in financial services and regulatory matters.
On June 11, Stuart Alderoty donated $300,000 in XRP to the Trump 47 Committee.
BitGo CEO Michael Belshe
Mike Belshe is an American computer scientist and entrepreneur. He is co-founder and CEO of BitGo, Inc., and co-founder of Lookout Software in 2004. He is a co-inventor of the SPDY protocol and one of the primary authors of the HTTP/2.0 specification.
On June 4, he donated $50,000 in BTC to the Trump 47 Committee.
Messari CEO Ryan Selkis
Ryan Selkis is founder and CEO of Messari, and was also part of the founding teams at Digital Currency Group and CoinDesk. Ryan is also active in venture capital and angel investing.
On May 8, Ryan was invited to speak at an NFT dinner hosted by Trump. On June 3, he donated USDC worth $50,000 to the Trump 47 Committee.
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