Donald Trump and the Republican Party got a boost in the third quarter from business notables, including some economic advisors to the Trump campaign.
The two joint fundraising committees backing Trump and the GOP raised more than $200 million from July through September, according to Federal Election Commission data reported Saturday. The Republican efforts trailed the more than $290 million raised in the quarter by joint fundraising committees for Hillary Clinton and the Democratic Party.
The donations were all made before Sept. 30, so they came before the release of a 2005 video that showed Trump boasting about groping women without consent. After the video, many Republican lawmakers pulled their support to Trump and some donors signaled they would no longer give him money.
Large donors often flock to joint fundraising committees because they allow contributors to give one large check, which is then split among multiple candidates, party committees or political action committees.
Here are some of the notable donors to Trump Victory, one of the joint fundraising committees for Trump and the GOP:
- Billionaire casino magnate Sheldon Adelson and his wife Miriam both contributed nearly $250,000 to the committee in August. Adelson, a large Republican donor, had been hesitant to back Trump earlier in the election cycle.
- Activist investor Carl Icahn, who has defended Trump's comments about women, gave $150,000 in September.
- Energy titan Harold Hamm, a Trump advisor, contributed nearly $500,000 in July.
- Hedge fund manager John Paulson, another Trump advisor, gave $250,000 in July.
- Bruce Berkowitz of Fairholme Capital Management contributed $125,000 in two donations in the third quarter.