Is Timothy Mellon the mystery donor? Trump lauds ‘great patriot’ who anonymously gave $130 million to Pentagon

US President Donald Trump on Friday praised the ‘patriot’ who anonymously donated $130 million to the Pentagon, while a new report has claimed that the person behind the huge contribution is Timothy Mellon, a reclusive billionaire.

As per the report by The New York Times, the Pentagon donation came from Mellon, a banking heir and railroad magnate, who has for long been a huge financial backer of Donald Trump.

Neither White House nor Mellon have confirmed anything regarding the donation.

Two sources cited by the NYT identified the donor as Timothy Mellon, even as Trump declined to name the mysterious person.

What did Trump say about the donor?

Donald Trump announced about the donation on Thursday night, but refused to name the person who donated $130 million to Pentagon.

Speaking to reporters before departing the White House for a trip to Asia, Trump said, “He’s a great gentleman. He’s a patron.”

Trump called him a ‘wonderful man’ as he headed to Malaysia.

“He’s obviously a very substantial man, and he contributed $130 million for the military in order to make up any different so he wanted to see the military get paid,” he said. “So did I. And he’s a wonderful man.”

The US President revealed that the mystery donor did not want his name out in public, calling the decision “pretty unusual in the world I come from”

“He prefer that his name not be mentioned which is pretty unusual in the world I come from, and in the world of politics, you want your name mentioned,” he said.

“In the world of politics, you want your name mentioned. He doesn’t,” Trump said.

Giving a hint, the US President noted that the donor was an American citizen and said he was “a friend.”

Who is Timothy Mellon?

Timothy Mellon, an octogenarian billionaire scion of one of America's wealthiest families, had become the largest donor to Trump's electoral campaign in 2024.

The heir to the Pittsburgh-based Mellon banking family, Timothy Mellon is a grandson of former Treasury Secretary Andrew W. Mellon.

Despite his millions-worth of political spends, Mellon, a resident of Wyoming, likes to keep a low profile.

He is also a major backer of Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., to whom he donated millions of dollars when he ran for President. Mellon has also given money to his anti-vaccine group, Children’s Health Defense.

What did the Pentagon say?

The Pentagon confirmed that it has accepted the anonymous $130 million gift to help pay members of the military during the government shutdown.

It said that the acceptance was made “under its general gift acceptance authority.”

“The donation was made on the condition that it be used to offset the cost of Service members' salaries and benefits,” said Sean Parnell, chief spokesman for the Pentagon.

“We are grateful for this donor's assistance after Democrats opted to withhold pay from troops,” he added.