These power brokers could shape Trump's second term

Elon Musk, the world's richest person, entered into 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 gifts to voters in swing states to drum up support for the Republican candidate. Trump publicly offered Musk a leadership position in his second term.

Many other billionaires and industry giants have supported Trump. Now some could be in the running for Cabinet positions, while others could exert influence behind the scenes.

Who are you?

Peter Thiel

Peter Thiel has consistently supported Trump but is a loyal ally of Vice President-elect JD Vance.

Thiel made his fortune as an early investor in PayPal and Facebook. He is 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 himself 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 was the starting point for his selection as Trump's vice presidential 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 term as president, Linda McMahon served as head of the US Small Business Administration from 2017 to 2019.

McMahon sat next to Trump at the 2024 Republican National Convention and leads his transition team. Politico lists her as a potential candidate for Commerce Secretary.

Howard Lutnick

Howard Lutnick is chairman and CEO of financial services company Cantor Fitzgerald. Along with McMahon, Lutnick is a top Trump donor and co-chair of the Trump 2024 transition team.

According to Politico, Lutnick and Trump are close. Lutnick once appeared on “The Apprentice,” Trump’s flagship reality television show. Lutnick is considered a potential candidate for Treasury Secretary.

Vivek Ramaswamy

Vivek Ramaswamy, a former 2024 Republican presidential candidate, is a biotech billionaire who was once considered a potential running mate for Trump.

Although he has not been named veep, Ramaswamy has hinted at other possible roles in a Trump White House, possibly overseeing immigration as secretary of the Department of Homeland Security. He was born in Ohio to Indian immigrants.

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

Miriam Adelson

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

According to OpenSecrets.org, Adelson is one of Trump's biggest donors and donated $100 million to the political action committee Preserve America to help his election.

Adelson is influential behind the scenes because of her financial resources and passionate support of Israel, where she was born, USA TODAY reports. Forbes reports that her family's net worth is $34.2 billion.

Bill Ackman

Bill Ackman, a billionaire hedge fund manager, has endorsed Trump for president despite previous concerns, according to Reuters. He even gave 33 reasons to support Trump.

When the election results were announced, Ackman cheered. He had previously predicted Trump's triumph.

Diane Hendricks

Billionaire Diane Hendricks spoke at the 2024 Republican National Convention in Milwaukee about her life as one of nine girls in her family, a single mother and a wife who wanted to achieve the American dream.

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

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

Marc Andreessen

Marc Andreessen, a Silicon Valley venture capitalist, has oscillated between support from Democrats and Republicans in the past. In 2024 he supported Trump.

According to TechCrunch, Andreessen chose Trump 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 argues, would allow technological innovation to flourish.

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

Timothy Mellon

Timothy Mellon, heir to the Mellon family fortune, has been politically financing Trump for years. According to Reuters, Mellon has donated at least $115 million to the Trump campaign. He also supported Trump in 2020.

Mellon has donated to many anti-immigrant efforts 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's worth at $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 supported him since 2016, Politico reports.

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

Paulson is a long-time supporter of tax cuts and deregulation, according to Reuters, and, like Trump, has supported tariffs on national security grounds and to combat unfair trade practices.

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

Scott Bessent

One of the co-hosts 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 believed to be in the running for a Cabinet post: perhaps at the Treasury Department.

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, was ambassador to the United Kingdom in the first Trump administration.

His colleagues within the Jets football organization suspect that Johnson could take on that role again under a second Trump administration, the New York Post reports.