Mysterious tycoon donates $130 million to the Pentagon! Trump: My friend wants to help the U.S. military.

Mysterious tycoon donates $130 million to the Pentagon! Trump: My friend wants to help the U.S. military.

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The Pentagon has accepted an anonymous donation of $130 million to pay military salaries during the government shutdown, a move that may violate U.S. law.

On Friday, the U.S. Pentagon said that during the U.S. government shutdown, it received an anonymous donation of $130 million to fund military expenses.

Pentagon chief spokesperson Sean Parnell confirmed in a statement that on October 23, 2025, the U.S. Department of Defense accepted the donation under its "general gift acceptance authority." He said, "The condition of the donation was that it must be used to offset the cost of military salaries and benefits."

U.S. President Trump revealed on Thursday that the donation came from one of his "friends," a "patriot" who called to express willingness to cover "any shortfall in military funding."

However, the legality of this move was immediately questioned by the U.S. Congress and legal experts, as U.S. law generally prohibits government agencies from accepting personal donations for specific purposes to bypass the congressional appropriations process.

Donation size and military funding gap

Although $130 million is a huge sum, for paying the salaries of about 1.3 million active-duty U.S. service members across the country, it’s a drop in the bucket, averaging only about $100 per person.

According to data from the U.S. Treasury Department, the U.S. government spent $980 million on military personnel in September.

Elaine McCusker, Senior Fellow at the American Enterprise Institute and former Pentagon Comptroller, stated:

There are too many variables to accurately estimate how many personnel $130 million could pay for, but roughly calculated, it may cover about 2% of the U.S. active-duty force.

The next payday for U.S. military members is October 29. During a government shutdown, U.S. civilian employees and military personnel typically do not get paid.

Nevertheless, Trump ordered the Pentagon earlier this month to look for any available funds to pay military salaries.

U.S. federal law places strict limits on the government’s acceptance of donations.

Individuals can make unconditional donations to the Treasury, but these funds are credited to the general fund or used to repay the national debt, and cannot be spent without congressional appropriation.

Bill Hoagland, Senior Vice President of the Bipartisan Policy Center and former Senate Republican budget aide, stated:

I think they can accept the donation, but cannot use it for that purpose because the law is very clear.

The military’s authority to accept private donations dates back to a 1956 law, but it is limited to two specific uses: supporting institutions such as military academies, hospitals, libraries, museums, cemeteries, etc.; assisting military personnel and civilian employees injured or killed in the line of duty, and their families.

Matthew Lawrence, a law professor at Emory University and former White House budget official, said that the Army Clause of the U.S. Constitution restricts the source of military funding, requiring Congress to renew the authorization every two years. He stated,

The framers were very concerned about the president’s control over a standing army. Allowing the military to be supported by means outside the appropriations process during a funding lapse would directly violate this constitutional requirement.

The mysterious "patriot"

The mysterious identity of the donor has also attracted widespread attention.

Trump only described the person as "a friend," "a man," and "a patriot," adding that he "doesn't really want recognition."

The donor’s identity and motives raise many questions. When asked whether the donor is connected to any foreign entities or interests, the White House spokesperson referred inquiries to the Pentagon and the Treasury Department, but the Pentagon referred them back to the White House.

Reportedly, the Pentagon also did not respond to whether it plans to inform Congress of the details on the use of the donation.

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