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The Trump campaign received a contribution from software billionaire David Duffield in August, according to new records filed with the Federal Election Commission.
Bloomberg
Last month, Workday chairman David Duffield joined a small club of billionaires in Silicon Valley who have given money to Donald Trump’s reelection campaign.
Duffield, who founded software firms PeopleSoft and Workday, gave at least $2,800 to Trump, according to campaign records filed with the Federal Election Commission last week. The contributions were received by the Trump campaign in August and marked in the filings as a transfer from the Trump Victory committee, which is a joint fundraising group with the Republican National Committee. The group can accept contributions of up to $817,800 per person.
Duffield, who Forbes estimates is worth $12.9 billion, plans to give the bulk of his fortune away to charity (he’s poured more than $300 million into an animal foundation named for his deceased miniature schnauzer). But he rarely makes federal political contributions—he gave $1,000 to the RNC in May, according to FEC filings. Through a representative, Duffield declined to comment about his contribution to Trump.
The enterprise tech tycoon is one of just eight billionaires and billionaire spouses that Forbes has found who built a fortune in Silicon Valley and made a contribution supporting Trump’s reelection campaign. Meanwhile, Forbes has found that more than 20 billionaires and their spouses with fortunes built in Silicon Valley have ponied up to give to Joe Biden’s campaign.
Here’s a closer look at the other Silicon Valley billionaires who have made contributions to Trump’s reelection campaign.
Safra Catz & Gal Tirosh
Net worth: $1.2 billion
Source of wealth: Software
While Oracle’s billionaire founder and former CEO Larry Ellison hasn’t made any direct contributions to Donald Trump, he allowed the president to use one of his compounds for a fundraiser in February (which led to an employee walkout), and later expressed his support for the president in a Forbes interview. “We only have one president at a time,” Ellison said. “I don’t think he’s the devil—I support him and want him to do well.” About a month after the article was published, Oracle chief executive Safra Catz and her husband made their first-ever contributions in support of Trump, giving a combined $250,000 to Trump Victory in May.
Net worth: $4.6 billion
Source of wealth: Venture capital
Leone, who is a partner at venture capital firm Sequoia, and his wife Patricia did not give to Trump in 2016 (they gave $250,000 to a pro-Jeb Bush super-PAC ahead of the Republican primaries). But since last year, they’ve contributed $100,000 to Trump Victory and another $100,000 to the pro-Trump super-PAC America First. Leone has long given to Republican causes, so his contributions aren’t a complete surprise. However, his spending does put him at political odds with fellow Sequoia billionaire Michael Moritz, who has poured over $2 million into super-PACs supporting Biden and Democrats this election cycle.
Net worth: $4.6 billion
Source of wealth: Microsoft
An early Microsoft employee, Simonyi gave $50,000 to Trump four years ago. “With the House, the Senate, the forthcoming Supreme Court appointment, and with the increased number of Republican Governors he now has a broad mandate that we all hope he will use wisely,” Simonyi told Forbes shortly after the election. “While divisions will persist, the opportunities are huge for all people and for all businesses certainly including high tech.” He and his wife Lisa gave a combined $100,000 to Trump Victory in June 2017.
Net worth: $2.1 billion
Source of wealth: Facebook
In 2016 Thiel spoke at the Republican National Convention in support of Donald Trump. That year he gave $250,000 to Trump Victory. Now it’s been over two years since he spent any money supporting Trump, according to the latest available FEC filings. The early Facebook backer last gave $250,000 to Trump Victory in July 2018. This election cycle, Thiel spent more than $850,000 in support of Kris Kobach, the Trump ally who ran and lost in a Kansas Republican primary for Senate in August.