Free Republic

If there’s one thing Democrats hate hate hate, it’s those evil, greedy billionaires ruining the country for everybody else! Just witness socialist screecher Bernie Sanders railing against them at the DNC, with a heavy-breathing speech about how we need an economy that works for everyone, something that Donald Trump — himself an evil billionaire — can’t deliver. Except that, right after Bernie, hard-left Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker came out to brag about how rich he was — flashing his inherited wealth (about $3.5 billion worth, specifically) with a claim he’s richer than Trump. Huh? And it’s not like billionaires were...

Locals had criticised the previous tax rules after rich expats buying property in Italy sent house prices spiking. Italy's government has approved an increase in the annual flat tax applied to income earned abroad by new fiscal residents in Italy. The annual fixed fee will jump to €200,000, from the current total of €100,000. Unpopular among locals, the tax arrangement is informally known as the "billionaires" tax or "the footballers scheme" - it is credited with attracting thousands of multi-millionaires to Italy. One high-profile individual who benefited from the system was Portuguese football player Cristiano Ronaldo, who moved to Turin...

... Harris is the “right person at the right time” and well-positioned to “push back” against Donald Trump, according to Reid Hoffman, the tech billionaire who co-founded LinkedIn. Alexander Soros, son of financier and philanthropist George Soros, described her as the “best and most qualified candidate we have”. Hoffman and Soros had been vocal in their support of Biden in recent weeks, even as calls grew from him to exit the race. But Reed Hastings, the Netflix co-founder and Democratic mega-donor, was among those who urged the president to stand down. On Sunday, he said only that party delegates “need...

A number of influential billionaires who previously publicly expressed their disdain for Donald Trump have now apparently changed their minds. Growing frustration over Joe Biden's economic and immigration policies, or indignation over his handling of the Israel-Gaza War, has lengthened the list of billionaires now signaling they support the former president.

Israeli-American casino billionaire Miriam Adelson is expected to announce a multi-million dollar boost to Trump's campaign this week. Politico reported that the contribution is expected to exceed the $90m donation to Preserve America by Mrs Adelson and her late husband, Sheldon in the 2020 election. In the hours following the verdict, a number of wealthy billionaires posted messages of support for Trump. Among them was Silicon Valley investor David Sacks, who posted on X that there "is now only one issue in this election: whether the American people will stand for the USA becoming a Banana Republic". On 6 June,...

Her late husband Sheldon Adelson didn’t cut checks in 2016 for Trump until September of that yearMiriam Adelson, the wife of the late billionaire Sheldon Adelson, has reportedly pledged to spend more than $100 million to support former President Donald Trump in the upcoming general election after staying neutral in the Republican presidential primaries this year. Adelson, an Israeli-born physician who specializes in substance abuse, is set to finance a rejuvenated pro-Trump super PAC, Preserve America, which was initially formed for Trump’s reelection bid in 2020, Politico reported Thursday. The Adelsons contributed $90 million to Trump in that election cycle....

There's some fascinating news about an alliance between billionaires Elon Musk and Nelson Peltz and former President Donald Trump. We reported on Musk's meeting with Trump in March. Now, there are more details about the meeting, which was reportedly at Peltz's mansion. The men also had their sons at the meeting: Barron, Diesel, and Musk's son X, who is a toddler. There were also allegedly other wealthy and powerful people at the meeting.

Billionaires are putting their influence and money behind Donald Trump, a wave of support that is helping the former President narrow his fundraising gap with President Joe Biden. The latest example came last week with the news that Blackstone CEO Steve Schwarzman, after years of keeping his distance from Trump, is now a supporter. A collection of familiar GOP names announced their support for Trump in recent months. They include figures like Robert Bigelow and Nelson Peltz. Both have donated to Republicans for years. Both distanced themselves from Trump after Jan. 6. Both are now back on board. Robert Bigelow,...

Donald Trump has raised $50.5 million at a Florida fundraiser for his 2024 re-election campaign - the highest amount ever raised at a single event. Saturday's $250,000-a-ticket bash was held at the Palm Beach home of Trump supporter John Paulson, and slightly exceeded the $50m fundraising total organizers predicted. The enormous amount is almost double the $26 million Joe Biden's campaign recently raised at a New York City bash which boasted the added star-power of former Democrat presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton. 'It's clearer than ever that we have the message, the operation, and the money to propel President...

President Biden taunted former president Donald Trump Saturday for his evening high-dollar fundraiser — dissing the “bunch of hedge fund billionaires” who were gathering in Florida to support him. “This campaign is Scranton versus Palm Beach,” Biden said in a video posted to X. “Folks, you know Trump is down in Florida today raising money from a bunch of hedge fund billionaires who want him to cut Social Security and Medicare and their taxes,” he claimed in the 54-second clip.

The Berger Action Fund, one arm of liberal Swiss billionaire Hansjörg Wyss’ philanthropic empire, gave tens of millions to one of America’s most prolific Democrat-aligned dark money groups. The Berger Action Fund, a 501(c)(4) nonprofit organization, gave $35 million to the liberal dark money group Sixteen Thirty Fund in 2022, tax documents show. Sixteen Thirty Fund in 2022 poured tens of millions into Democrat-aligned PACs, groups supporting left-wing ballot measures and voter mobilization operations designed to increase turnout among Democrat-friendly demographics, according to tax forms. Wyss, a Swiss billionaire who made his fortune selling medical devices, had not disclosed publicly...

Disgraced politician Anthony Weiner's ex-wife Huma Abedin has seemingly revealed she is dating billionaire George Soros' son Alex - who is almost ten years her junior. The longtime aide to Hillary Clinton appeared to take her romance public on Wednesday when she shared a photo of herself and Alex enjoying a Valentine's Day date at a restaurant in Paris. In the image - which was posted on Instagram Stories by both Huma, 47, and Alex, 38 - shows the pair cuddling up in a corner booth behind a table strewn with red roses and gifts, with the billionaire playboy adding...

Ultra-progressive California Governor Gavin Newsom is in Las Vegas ahead of Super Bowl and is spending his time in Sin City hobnobbing with billionaires and Tom Brady, as speculation mounts that Joe Biden will stand down. On Friday, Newsom, 56, was a surprise guest at Fanatics billionaire Michael Rubin’s hot 100 luncheon at LAVO – a swanky restaurant at the upscale Palazzo hotel. The restaurant, which bills itself as offering ‘authentic Italian flavors and unforgettable experiences’, specializes in seafood – including a lavish $225 ‘plateau grande’ that comes with an entire lobster and kaluga caviar.

In early February, Mark Zuckerberg added $28 billion to his wealth in a matter of hours as Meta’s shares soared after the company announced its first dividend payout.This follows a banner year for the Facebook founder, who saw his wealth surge 173% in 2023. Like Zuckerberg, many tech billionaires added huge sums to their wealth as the stock market rebounded.Visual Capitalist's Dorothy Neufeld shows in the following graphic from Preyash Shah, the biggest winners and losers in billionaire wealth in 2023...The Top Risers and FallersBelow, we rank the world’s top 50 billionaires by their net change in wealth:Adding $113.5 billion...

Despite a punishing loss in New Hampshire, Nikki Haley has nearly a dozen fundraisers scheduled between now and the South Carolina primary — and insiders are now wondering how many of these shindigs will actually happen. On Jan. 30 in New York City, billionaires including Leonard Stern, Cliff Asness, Stanley Druckenmiller, Ken Langone and Henry Kravis are co-hosting an event for the former South Carolina governor. On Feb. 6, Silicon Valley mogul Tim Draper is hosting Haley in Atherton, Calif. On Feb. 15, Haley also is slated to be feted in Dallas by real estate tycoon Harlan Crow, according to...

'Doomsday prepping' used to be seen as a hobby relegated to the paranoid fringe — but ordinary Americans spent a staggering $11 billion on survival items, just last year, from April 2022 to April 2023. About a third of US citizens admit to prepping, surveys show, but few have the resources today's billionaire bunker-builders have to devote to their own shelters. The world's wealthiest have increasingly spent hundreds of millions on securing underground compounds, private islands and (for the merely rich) 'survival condos.' Late last year it emerged Mark Zuckerberg was building a $100 million hidden fortress buried beneath his...

A group of Wall Street billionaires is planning a fundraiser for GOP presidential candidate Nikki Haley in New York City after the New Hampshire primary, Bloomberg News reported. Billionaires Stanley Druckenmiller, Henry Kravis, Ken Langone and Cliff Asness are reportedly planning a fundraiser for Haley on Jan. 30, according to an invitation viewed by Bloomberg. A donor speaking on the condition of anonymity told the outlet that the event is just one part of a fundraising swing slated for Haley in between the New Hampshire and South Carolina primaries.

In 42 years of practicing law in California, I encountered firsthand what I labeled the BILLIONAIRE-OCRACY. Simply put, California was ruled by a very select and distinct group of very wealthy people who ran all the companies. The faces of the ruling class had names like Willie Brown (the man behind Kamala Harris), Nancy Pelosi, and Gavin Newsom. But the real power was in Silicon Valley ( Google, Apple, Oracle, Microsoft). Just outside of Reno, the Power Corporations located themselves in an enclave far away from the citizens and installed their control towers. There seemed to be two types: Companies...

A liberal Swiss billionaire known for meddling in U.S. elections has funneled millions of dollars to former attorney general Eric Holder's effort to redraw electoral maps in favor of Democrats, newly obtained documents reveal. The Berger Action Fund, the advocacy arm of Swiss megadonor Hansjörg Wyss's Wyss Foundation, passed $3 million to the National Redistricting Action Fund (NRAF) between 2018 and 2020. The NRAF is the 501(c)(4) lobbying arm of Holder’s National Democratic Redistricting Committee, a self-described "centralized hub for executing a comprehensive redistricting strategy" to give Democrats an edge in congressional races. Holder, who chairs the National Democratic Redistricting...

President Biden thanked first responders with an awkward phone call into the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade Thursday that provided some cringeworthy TV for viewers of the annual parade. From the Massachusetts island home of private-equity billionaire David Rubenstein, the president and first lady Jill Biden engaged in a call that started with a lengthy and uncomfortable silence as NBC’s Dylan Dryer, on scene at the parade, seemed unable to hear the pair for about 30 seconds. “I’m not one to take a phone call during TV, but I think I should answer this one,” Dreyer said.