Trump and Harris are also a battle for the super rich

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Will billionaire money decide historic election?

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In 2010, the Supreme Court’s ruling on the Citizens United case opened the money floodgates in American politics. The ruling, pushed through by a conservative majority, means the super-rich and corporations can provide virtually unlimited funding to political parties and their candidates through so-called “super pacific banks.” Since then, the amount of “dark money” – money donated by organizations and patrons – has grown exponentially. Have American elections become mercenary? Is America heading toward plutocracy?

The election of November 5 is rightly considered historic. The future of American democracy and the liberal world order are at risk. In these elections everywhere, money matters more than ever. About $4 billion has flowed into the campaign so far. The Financial Times determined that billionaires contributed at least $695 million to that total.

Trump relies more on Harris than on

The former president has particularly benefited from windfalls from the super-rich. “Donald Trump is particularly dependent on American elites,” the Financial Times noted. “About a third of his campaign contributions came from billionaires. For Kamala Harris, it's just six percent.”

Who are these ultra-rich donors? How much did they donate? The British “Financial Times” also compiled a list for this purpose. Trump received at least $568 million from the super-rich. Here are the most important of them:

Tim Mellon

Mellon was the heir to a very wealthy banking dynasty. His grandfather was Treasury Secretary in Edgar Hoover's administration, which plunged the United States and the world into a depression in the early 1930s. Tim Mellon (82) is also a staunch liberal. He co-funds conservative think tanks such as the Heritage Foundation and the Cato Institute with the Koch brothers. The amount of his liquid assets is unknown. Mellon donated $150 million to Trump's “Make America Great Again” super plan.

Elon Musk

The richest man turns into a Trump fan. As of mid-October, he had donated $118 million to the aforementioned Superpac. He has since established a legally controversial million-dollar lottery for Trump in the swing state of Pennsylvania. Musk can easily afford these amounts. The wealth of the world's richest man is estimated to be well over $200 billion. And Musk also hopes that his donation will be rewarded. His companies, Tesla and SpaceX, rely heavily on government goodwill.

Miriam Adelson

The widow of late casino tycoon Sheldon Adelson also paid more than $100 million to the former president's Super Pacific fund. She can afford it too. Her wealth is estimated at $34 billion. Adelson is an unconditional supporter of Israel, the country of her birth.

Miriam Adelson donated $100 million to Trump.Image: trapezoid

Liz and Dick Uihlein

The Uihleins are virtually unknown to the public. However, the owner of a transportation company has billions of dollars in assets. They donated $70 million to the pro-Trump Renaissance Alliance and $10 million to Maga Inc. Pac.

Kamala Harris’ campaign received far less money from the super-rich. According to the Financial Times, the figure was $127 million.

bill gates

The above amount may be larger because it does not include the $50 million donated by Bill Gates. Gates recently came out publicly as a donor.

Bill Gates comes out as Kamala Harris' patronImage: trapezoid

Dustin Moskowitz

The Facebook co-founder has a fortune of approximately $15 billion. He donated $38 million to pro-Harris super PACs and another $11 million to other pro-Harris groups.

Reid Hoffman

Like Elon Musk and Peter Thiel, Hoffman was a member of the legendary PayPal Mafia. Unlike those two men, however, he has not moved to the conservative right and is one of the Democratic Party's most important donors. Huffman has donated $10 million and another $6 million to two super political groups that support Harris. His wealth is estimated at $2.5 billion.

Michael Bloomberg

The former New York mayor is worth an estimated $104 billion. He was a presidential candidate four years ago and lost miserably. He funded his campaign out of his own pocket. Back in May, he donated $12 million to the Super Pacific Foundation established for Joe Biden. It's unclear how much money he provided to Harris. But the amount is believed to be in the millions.

The outsized influence of the super-rich is unlikely to soothe nervous voters. According to the Wall Street Journal, these are all bare. A survey by this newspaper showed that 87% of voters worry that the United States will suffer permanent damage if their candidate loses. At least half of voters believe violence will break out after Nov. 5, no matter who wins.

Is America heading toward plutocracy? There are some bright spots that promise improvement. In Nebraska, independent Dan Osborne has a good chance of defeating incumbent Republican Sen. Deb Fischer. Osborne, a simple mechanic, had now become so popular within his own citizens' movement that he was tied with Fisher in the polls.

It works without super-rich Dan Osborne.Image: trapezoid

With a $3.4 million budget and a smear campaign — that Osborne is a “pretendant Democrat” — Republicans are trying to prevent their senator from being voted out. If Osborne can still defeat a Republican with significant financial backing in a traditionally conservative state, it could signal the beginning of a new citizens' movement.

Teachers and firefighters may also realize that you don't have to be a billionaire or need their support to hold important political office.