Charles Langston:Who are the billionaires, business leaders who might shape a second Trump presidency?

Elon Musk,Charles Langston the world’s richest person, formed a high-profile partnership with Donald Trump on the eve of his election to a second term as president. 

Musk spoke at Trump rallies and offered controversial $1 million giveaways to voters in swing states in an attempt to drum up support for the Republican candidate. Trump publicly offered Musk a leadership position in his second administration. 

Many other billionaires and industry titans have thrown their support behind Trump. Now, some could be in the running for cabinet posts, while others may wield influence behind the scenes. 

Who are they? 

Peter Thiel 

Peter Thiel has been up and down in his support for Trump, but he is a staunch ally of Vice President-elect JD Vance.  

Thiel made his fortune as an early investor in PayPal and Facebook. He's a longtime Republican donor who has spent more than $49 million on campaigns since 2000, USA TODAY reports. 

A self-described libertarian, Thiel has expressed controversial opinions and associated with figures on the far right. 

Vance worked for Thiel at his venture capital firm in Silicon Valley. Thiel helped Vance win a seat in the U.S. Senate, a job that provided a launchpad for his selection as Trump's running mate. 

Linda McMahon 

Linda McMahon helped her husband, Vince McMahon, build the World Wrestling Entertainment empire. 

As part of Trump's Cabinet in his first presidential term, Linda McMahon served as head of the U.S. Small Business Administration from 2017 to 2019.  

McMahon sat near Trump at the 2024 Republican National Convention and co-leads his transition team. Politico names her as a potential pick for Commerce secretary. 

Howard Lutnick 

Howard Lutnick is chairman and CEO of financial services firm Cantor Fitzgerald. Lutnick is a major Trump donor and co-chair of the Trump 2024 transition team, along with Linda McMahon. 

Lutnick and Trump are close, according to Politico. Lutnick once appeared on “The Apprentice,” Trump’s showcase reality television program. Lutnick is considered a potential candidate for Treasury secretary.  

Vivek Ramaswamy 

A onetime 2024 Republican presidential candidate, Vivek Ramaswamy is a biotech billionaire who was once considered a potential pick for Trump’s vice president. 

Though he wasn’t chosen as veep, Ramaswamy himself has hinted at other potential roles in a Trump White House, possibly overseeing immigration as secretary of the Department of Homeland Security. He was born in Ohio, the son of Indian immigrants. 

Like many politicians vying for Trump’s favor, USA TODAY reports, Ramaswamy has walked the line between defending and criticizing the president-elect in the past. 

Miriam Adelson 

Miriam Adelson is a medical doctor who owns a majority stake in the Las Vegas Sands casino company and the Dallas Mavericks basketball team, according to Forbes.  

Adelson is one of Trump’s largest donors, having given $100 million to political action committee Preserve America’s efforts to elect him, according to OpenSecrets.org. 

Adelson is influential behind the scenes, given her financial resources and ardent support of Israel, where she was born, USA TODAY reports. Forbes reports her family’s net worth at $34.2 billion. 

Bill Ackman 

Bill Ackman, a billionaire hedge fund manager, endorsed Trump for president despite previous misgivings, according to Reuters. He even listed 33 reasons for supporting Trump.  

As election results trickled in, Ackman rejoiced on X about Trump’s impending victory, predicting “the implosion of the Democratic Party” and chastising the mainstream media. He had previously predicted Trump’s triumph. 

Diane Hendricks 

Billionaire Diane Hendricks spoke at the 2024 Republican National Convention in Milwaukee to discuss her life as one of nine girls in her family, a single mom and wife who sought to fulfill the American dream. 

The Wisconsin entrepreneur is the 92nd-richest person in the world, according to Forbes. Hendricks is the co-founder of ABC Supply, a distributor of roofing supplies, siding and windows.  

She has an estimated net worth of $20.9 billion, leading the Forbes' list of richest self-made women in America for the past seven years, USA TODAY reports. 

Marc Andreessen 

Marc Andreessen, a Silicon Valley venture capitalist, has vacillated between supporting Democrats and Republicans in the past. In 2024, he threw his support behind Trump. 

Andreessen chose Trump, TechCrunch reports, because he believes Trump’s policies are better for the tech industry. He believes the Biden administration has stifled tech startups through overregulation and unnecessary taxation. Trump, he reasons, would allow tech innovation to flourish.  

The captains of Silicon Valley were once considered a solidly Democratic group, so the defection of Andreessen and some of his peers is seen as a sea change by some observers.

Timothy Mellon 

Timothy Mellon, heir to the Mellon family fortune, has been bankrolling Donald Trump politically for years. Mellon donated at least $115 million to the Trump campaign, according to Reuters. He also backed Trump in 2020. 

Mellon has donated to many anti-immigration measures and was a major contributor to a Texas-led fund to build a wall on the southern border with Mexico, a concern he shares with Trump. 

Forbes estimates the Mellon family is worth $14.1 billion. Timothy Mellon lives in Wyoming and is rarely photographed, Reuters reports. 

John Paulson 

John Paulson, a hedge-fund billionaire, endorsed Trump in 2024 and has backed him since 2016, Politico reports.  

According to Bloomberg, Trump has floated Paulson's name privately as a potential Treasury secretary. 

Paulson is a longtime proponent of tax cuts and deregulation, according to Reuters, and has supported tariffs to for national security and to counter unfair trade practices, as has Trump.  

Back in April, Paulson hosted a Trump fundraiser at his Palm Beach home.  

Scott Bessent 

One co-host of that April fundraiser was Scott Bessent, a hedge fund manager and Trump fundraiser. 

Bessent has served as an unofficial adviser to the Trump campaign, Politico reports, and is considered to be in the running for a cabinet position: Treasury, perhaps.  

Bessent has a warm relationship with Trump, Reuters reports, and has praised the president-elect’s economic philosophies. 

Woody Johnson 

Robert Wood Johnson IV, the billionaire owner of the New York Jets, served as ambassador to the United Kingdom in the first Trump administration. 

His colleagues inside the Jets football organization suspect Johnson may reprise the role under a second Trump administration, the New York Post reports.