Tech adviser Jacob Helberg, who is known for donating large sums to Democrats, has donated $1 million to former President Donald Trump’s re-election campaign, in a move that puts him with the big money donors of Silicon Valley that have ditched President Joe Biden and supported Trump.
According to The Washington Post, Helberg was a donor in support of Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg’s failed presidential candidate in 2020.
After the report on Helberg’s contribution to the Trump campaign, he quoted the report in a post on X, saying, “This one’s for Israel.”
This one’s for Israel. 🇮🇱 🇺🇸 https://t.co/YR1lb0aM9Y
— Jacob Helberg (@jacobhelberg) May 15, 2024
According to FEC filings obtained by The Post, Helberg has donated $844,600 to the Trump 47 joint fundraising committee.
The donation makes Helberg a part of a small group of donors who have maxed out their contribution to the committee, with at least 20 others giving the limit to the group by March, per FEC filing.
Helberg’s donation to Trump’s campaign comes after the two bonded at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort over the need for the United States to take a proactive approach regarding China on trade and TikTok amid other issues. Among the issues Trump and Helberg agree on, China stands tall.
Helberg’s backing of Trump is part of a trend of Democratic supporters flocking to Trump having taken multiple issues with Biden’s presidency.
Per The Free Press, Trump’s former ambassador to Israel, David Friedman said that many Jewish donors who used to be skeptical of Trump started tilting to Trump after Biden withdrew support for Israel amid its war with Hamas.
“There is clearly a change going on, people who are active in politics with big money, people who were never Trumpers or reluctant ‘hold your nose Trumpers’ are telling me that Trump has to win,” Friedman stated.
Democratic mega-donor Haim Saban warned Biden against his increasing antagonism toward Israel in an email to two of the president’s aides.
“Even beyond Israel,this [sic] sends a terrible message to our allies in the region ,and [sic] beyond,that, [sic] we can flip from doing the right [thing] to bending to political pressure. Let’s not forget that there are more Jewish voters, who care about Israel,than [sic] [Muslim] voters who care about Hamas,” Saban wrote.
