Donald Trump reveals mystery friend paid US | Sports News

Donald Trump has revealed a mystery friend donated $130 million to the US army whereas the US authorities was shut down.

The American authorities is presently embroiled in a shutdown due to the incapability of Trump, Republicans, and Democrats to agree, although an finish appears to be in sight. One of the more urgent points during the shutdown was how service members can be paid.

During an look on ‘The Pat McAfee Show,’ the place he warned “rich colleges will go bust”, the president shared with the previous NFL star that a friend donated $130 million to help pay the army. Trump’s look on the show comes days after he was closely booed whereas at Northwest Stadium.

“Anyway Pat, you have to understand, we got the military paid. There’s no way we weren’t going to pay the military,” he advised McAfee on the show relating to the $130 million donation. “But how about this? There was a bit of a shortfall and a friend of mine called. A very successful, rich guy. A great guy, great patriot.

“And he called, he said, ‘Listen, if there’s a shortfall, I want to pay for it.’ So I looked around I said, ‘Is there a shortfall?,’ they said ‘$130 million.’ He wrote a check for 130 million dollars so that our military got paid perfectly, on time. How about that? That’s called a patriot.”

Though Trump did not specify who donated the $130 million, it was reported by the New York Times that Timothy Mellon, a railroad magnate whose web value has been estimated to be roughly $1 billion, was the mystery donor. Despite the donation, CNBC reported that every service member would obtain roughly $100.

What’s more, this isn’t the primary time Trump has lauded Mellon’s donation, having known as him a “great patriot” and a “friend of mine” prior to now. “And he’s a big supporter of mine,” Trump advised reporters, in response to CNBC. “He’s a wonderful man, and he doesn’t want publicity.”

Notably, Mellon has a historical past of donating to Republican-backed causes, having donated $140 million to MAGA Inc. in 2024 and almost $2 million in April 2025 to the identical group, in response to The Hill. When pressed by the New York Times on his support for Trump, Mellon remained mum.

“I’ll contribute to [Trump] or [former President] Biden or whoever I want to,” he explained to the outlet [h/t The Hill]. “I don’t have to say why.”

As for why he appeared on McAfee’s show, Trump made it abundantly clear that he only joined the program because the ESPN host had said nice things about him in the past. “And I’m solely becoming a member of you as a result of I hear you say such good issues about me out of your very massive viewers,” the president said.

“I’ve at all times heard you’ve got mentioned such good issues. So when people say good [things] about me, I be a part of. When they do not say good [things] about me, I take a cross.”