Stephen Ross isn’t Trump’s only supporter — Here are other business leaders who have backed Trump
Backlash against Equinox and SoulCycle fitness clubs reverberated across social media last week as consumers voiced disapproval of billionaire owner Stephen Ross’s $250,000-per-ticket Hamptons fundraiser for President Donald Trump.
Ross, a fellow New York real-estate tycoon, is chairman and founder of Related Companies, and owner of the Miami Dolphins. Related Companies is parent company of Equinox, SoulCycle, Blink Fitness, and PURE Yoga.
RSE Ventures, a venture capital firm co-founded by Ross, has also invested in VaynerMedia, Momofuku, Bluestone Lane, Drone Racing League, Relevent Sports Group, Omaze, NextVR, and Lola. (Momofuku’s David Chang donated all of the profits on Friday, Aug. 9 to various organizations including Planned Parenthood.)
While CEOs and other leaders of consumer-facing brands have been careful around showing support for political candidates, Ross isn’t exactly the only prominent business person who has supported Trump.
Here are other business leaders and founders who have thrown dollars behind the president.
The dollar figures referenced do not represent an exhaustive list of all political donations, including those made to Democratic, Independent and third-party candidates and organizations.
Six NFL team owners stand out for their identical pre-inauguration contributions to President elect Trump. Woody Johnson (New York Jets), Robert Kraft (New England Patriots), Shahid Khan (Jacksonville Jaguars), Dan Snyder (Washington Redskins), Stan Kroenke (Los Angeles Rams), and Bob McNair (Houston Texans) each donated $1 million to the President’s Inaugural Committee.
Other backers have contributed funds to the president’s cause through pro-Trump Super PACs. They include PayPal (PYPL) co-founder Peter Thiel, Uline packaging and shipping founder, Richard Uihlein, Las Vegas Sands CEO, Sheldon Adelson, The Home Depot (HD) co-founders, Bernie Marcus and Ken Langone, Marvel Chairman, Isaac Pearlmutter and financial firm founder Charles Schwab (SCHW), among others. Marcus, Langone, and other founders and executives including GoDaddy’s Bob Parsons, no longer participate in management of the companies they helped build.
The majority of Ross’s political donations have funded Republican candidates and organizations. However, over the past two years, he has also contributed to Democratic lawmakers and organizations including New Jersey Senator Robert Menendez, Florida state Representative Lois Frankel, and the New Jersey Democratic State Committee.
According to a University of Texas study referenced by the Washington Post, nearly 69% of CEOs studied during a single election cycle donated to candidates on both sides of the aisle.
In a statement before the fundraiser Ross told Bloomberg, “I have known Donald Trump for 40 years, and while we agree on some issues, we strongly disagree on many others and I have never been bashful about expressing my opinions...I have been, and will continue to be, an outspoken champion of racial equality, inclusion, diversity, public education and environmental sustainability."
CORRECTION: An earlier version of the graphic in this article included an incorrect image for Howard Lorber.
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Alexis Keenan is a reporter for Yahoo Finance. Follow Alexis on Twitter @alexiskweed.
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