People in these 19 industries donated the most money to Donald Trump
People in these 19 industries donated the most money to Donald Trump
As Election Day looms and the Trump campaign picks up the pace on fundraising efforts, it's worth looking at which groups and industries have donated most heavily to him during the current election cycle.
Stacker examined Federal Election Commission data compiled by OpenSecrets to find the 19 industries that contributed the most to Trump's 2024 campaign committee, as well as any super PACs or hybrid PACs working on his behalf, as of Feb. 2. The list is ranked based on the portion of that industry's presidential donations that went to Trump.
Former President Donald Trump announced shortly after the midterm elections in November 2022 that he would once again run for the White House in 2024. A historic May felony conviction on 34 counts didn't slow him down, nor did an apparent assassination attempt in July, as he officially accepted the Republican presidential nomination less than a week later. But Trump continues to lag behind incumbent Democrat President Joe Biden in one significant arena: finances.
As of July 2024, Biden's campaign funds have neared the $250 million mark, while Trump's have yet to crack $200 million. However, as he has often bragged, the former president has friends in high places. Among them is Elon Musk, who has announced his plans to donate $45 million every month to a new super PAC that supports Trump's re-election campaign.
But Musk is far from the only donor to shell out some big bucks for The Donald. There are some surprises on the forthcoming list of Trump's biggest donors: The group that made the most in contributions by far—and has increasingly become a significant force across the political landscape—would seem to be the least likely (and most frugal). Others may seem obvious, as it's no secret that Trump's energy-friendly policies have made him popular with people in the oil and gas industry. He also continues to do well within an industry he knows well: real estate.
Read on to find out which other groups were among Trump's biggest backers.
#19. Air transport
- Total donated to Trump in 2024 cycle: $496,670
--- 2.4% of all donations to presidential candidates from that industry
#18. Business services
- Total donated in 2024 cycle: $525,542
--- 6.6% of all donations from that industry
#17. Education
- Total donated in 2024 cycle: $536,588
--- 10.8% of all donations from that industry
#16. Lawyers / law firms
- Total donated in 2024 cycle: $1,556,164
--- 11.2% of all donations from that industry
#15. Insurance
- Total donated in 2024 cycle: $521,715
--- 14.2% of all donations from that industry
#14. Health professionals
- Total donated in 2024 cycle: $1,604,498
--- 15.6% of all donations from that industry
#13. Real estate
- Total donated in 2024 cycle: $5,787,218
--- 18.6% of all donations from that industry
#12. Miscellaneous manufacturing & distributing
- Total donated in 2024 cycle: $2,266,694
--- 22.3% of all donations from that industry
#11. Civil servants/public officials
- Total donated in 2024 cycle: $688,939
--- 22.3% of all donations from that industry
#10. Automotive
- Total donated in 2024 cycle: $575,715
--- 23.8% of all donations from that industry
#9. Securities & investment
- Total donated in 2024 cycle: $31,071,336
--- 26.5% of all donations from that industry
#8. General contractors
- Total donated in 2024 cycle: $762,502
--- 28.4% of all donations from that industry
#7. Recreation / live entertainment
- Total donated in 2024 cycle: $1,045,287
--- 29.6% of all donations from that industry
#6. Retired
- Total donated in 2024 cycle: $43,812,972
--- 34.2% of all donations from that industry
#5. Crop production & basic processing
- Total donated in 2024 cycle: $712,615
--- 38.8% of all donations from that industry
#4. Special trade contractors
- Total donated in 2024 cycle: $665,970
--- 44.2% of all donations from that industry
#3. Miscellaneous services
- Total donated in 2024 cycle: $925,270
--- 45.3% of all donations from that industry
#2. Oil & gas
- Total donated in 2024 cycle: $6,838,341
--- 62.8% of all donations from that industry
#1. Finance / credit companies
- Total donated in 2024 cycle: $944,063
--- 63.5% of all donations from that industry
Data reporting by Elena Cox. Additional writing by Elena Cox and Cu Fleshman. Story editing by Ashleigh Graf. Copy editing by Kristen Wegrzyn. Photo selection by Ania Antecka.
