--- title: Donald Trump: Billionaires Aren't Ready to Spend Against Him description: The moneyed class is holding its fire and sparing Donald Trump for the moment. They worry that they couldn't deflate him even if they tried. canonical: https://time.com/4135561/republican-donors-donald-trump/ author: Zeke Miller article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-12-03T21:49:21.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-19T07:44:03.601Z article:section: Politics og:title: Why Billionaires Aren't Lining Up to Torpedo Trump og:description: They aren't sure it would even work. og:url: https://time.com/4135561/republican-donors-donald-trump/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb062452764c7a213/698873c2cf40a813fcc40ebe/donald-trump-billionaires.jpg?branch=production&width=594&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 594 og:image:height: 334 og:image:alt: Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump addresses the Republican Jewish Coalition at Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center December 3, 2015 in Washington, DC. og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Why Billionaires Aren't Lining Up to Torpedo Trump twitter:description: They aren't sure it would even work. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb062452764c7a213/698873c2cf40a813fcc40ebe/donald-trump-billionaires.jpg?branch=production&width=594&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Why Billionaires Aren't Lining Up to Torpedo Trump > Sponsored content. 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Brief is TIME's Washington newsletter, written by senior correspondent Philip Elliott. It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, three times a week. It reaches 85,000 subscribers with a 37.0% open rate as of August 2026. #### Where can I get analysis of Washington politics by email? D.C. Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. by [Zeke Miller](https://time.com/author/zeke-j-miller/) and [Philip Elliott](https://time.com/author/philip-elliott/) Dec 3, 2015 9:49 PM UTC  Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump addresses the Republican Jewish Coalition at Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center December 3, 2015 in Washington, DC. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump addresses the Republican Jewish Coalition at Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center December 3, 2015 in Washington, DC.Alex Wong—2015 Getty Images by [Zeke Miller](https://time.com/author/zeke-j-miller/) and [Philip Elliott](https://time.com/author/philip-elliott/) Dec 3, 2015 9:49 PM UTC They can afford it, but the ranks of the wealthiest Americans aren’t shoveling cash into the Republican primary battle just yet. Instead, some of the biggest names in Republican political fundraising are still on the sidelines with little more than two months before Iowa begins the nominating contests. Part of the hesitancy comes from a genuine conflict over which candidate deserves backing and from utter confusion over Donald Trump’s consistent advantage in the polls. Some of the moneyed conservatives look at their pockets and see they could make little difference should Trump go all-in on his presidential dreams. “You can’t outspend the guy, and even if you could, you could never out-scream him,” said one major donor to a Trump rival. “Your 30-second spot can’t trump his irresponsible rhetoric, which is catnip for cable news.” So for all of the talk about billionaires rigging elections, some of these political oligarchs are content watching the field shake out without their checks. Take, for instance, billionaires Charles and David Koch. They guide one of the most sophisticated political and policy operations in the country and are favorites of their wealthy friends who want to shape the United States. Charles and David are no fans of Trump—they won’t allow him to see their database on voters, for instance—but they’re also not marshaling money to oppose him. Their flagship operation, Americans for Prosperity, instead is keeping its eyes on local questions such as film tax credits, gas taxes and economic development dollars. The famed Koch brothers, advisers say, are not ready to spend to derail him. **Read More:** [_Private Memo Details Republican Plan If Trump is Nominated_](http://time.com/4133684/republican-memo-donald-trump/) Similarly, conservative members of the deep-pocketed Ricketts family—owners of TD Ameritrade and the Chicago Cubs—have no plans to take on Trump. They were early backers of Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, who ended his White House bid with a plea for conservatives to coalesce behind an anti-Trump candidate. But advisers to the Ricketts clan say they’re watching Trump and expect him to do himself in without any outsiders’ help. And Sheldon Adelson, the casino magnate, is leaning toward Marco Rubio but hasn’t yet committed a dime. His wife, Miriam, meanwhile, has a soft spot for Ted Cruz. So cash hasn’t yet flowed from their Las Vegas compound. The Adelsons spent at least $98 million on 2012’s elections, but have skated by through this year as spendthrifts. Other typically generous donors, too, have kept a lid on political spending. The so-far lack of cash from these high-money donors suggests that they, like the rest of the country, are not quite sure what to make of the fractured GOP field—and how long Trump will dominate. Most of the donors expect Trump to fizzle as it gets closer to the actual voting. Some donors have started to get nervous, however, that Trump so far hasn’t faded. A handful have started writing checks to a super PAC that ostensibly is backing Ohio Gov. John Kasich, but has taken on the role of leading Trump critic. That super PAC, New Day, has started airing anti-Trump ads that ding Trump for lack of experience. The group also has Trump-critical mailers ready to go out in the coming days. **Read More:** [_Kasich Campaign Invokes Poem About Nazis to Attack Trump_](http://time.com/4126981/john-kasich-donald-trump-video/) Others aren’t sure any super PAC ad can derail Trump. “I don’t think going after him harshly, playing in his league, makes sense. He’s a master of it,” said John Geer, a Vanderbilt professor who studies attack ads. Because Trump is utterly unlike any previous frontrunner, he defies comparisons. “There’ve been various candidates who’ve been Teflon, but that’s because they’ve been positively viewed, but this is a different type of Teflon,” Geer said. “He is one-of-a-kind. Political science really has nothing to say about him.” Then there’s just the simple math: Trump estimates his net worth to be $10 billion. (Forbes, however, [puts his fortune at about half of that amount](http://www.forbes.com/sites/erincarlyle/2015/06/16/trump-exaggerating-his-net-worth-by-100-in-presidential-bid/).) So far, Trump has not paid for television ads and has won his place atop opinion surveys based on bluster, not campaign organization. If he were to start spending, it would be tough to keep up. “These guys don’t want to put good money after bad,” said one adviser to a rival campaign. “They haven’t seen a plan that works.” Another fundraiser said Trump’s polling advantage leaves him “almost too big” to take on. And, even if there were a decision to destroy Trump, there’s little agreement on how it could be done. After all, most of the donors already have favorite candidates, and any effort to take down Trump would clear the way for someone else to rise. “No one agrees on the long game since they’re all backing different candidates,” the fundraiser said. So it might be left to the voters themselves to deny Trump the party’s nomination—back the way it was decided before unlimited cash saturated airwaves and billionaires were marquee names in campaigns. **Read Next:** [_Karl Rove Won’t Rule Out Donald Trump Nomination_](http://time.com/4132504/karl-rove-donald-trump/) ### See Donald Trump Hanging Out With Unlikely Celebrities  Donald Trump, owner of New York's Trump Tower, holds the bridle of a polo pony while talking to Andy Warhol on Nov. 4, 1983. Mario Suriani—AP  Donald Trump, Don King and Barbara Walters on Dec. 12, 1987. Ron Galella—Getty Images  Professional Wrestler Hulk Hogan and Andre the Giant With Donald Trump. Russell Turiak—Getty Images  Heavyweight champion Mike Tyson, his wife, actress Robin Givens and Donald Trump, leave the New York State Supreme Court building on July 22, 1988. Charles Wenzelberg—AP  Developer Donald Trump is flanked by super middleweight champion Thomas Hearns, left, of Detroit, and Michael Olajide of Canada at a news conference in New York on Feb. 15, 1990. Timothy Clary—AP  Alec Baldwin is joined by Donald Trump and Melania Knauss at benefit for the Carol M. Baldwin Breast Cancer Research Fund at the Marriott Marquis Hotel on October 8, 1999. Richard Corkery—NY Daily News Archive/Getty Images  Katie Couric, left, co-host of NBC-TV's "Today" show, is dressed like Donald Trump, right, during a spoof of his "The Apprentice" reality television show, on the morning program's annual Halloween segment on Oct. 29, 2004. Richard Drew—AP  Donald Trump and Larry King arrive at the Comedy Central Roast of Donald Trump in New York on March 9, 2011. Charles Sykes—AP  Mike "The Situation" Sorrentino, left, and Donald Trump appear onstage at the Comedy Central Roast of Donald Trump in New York on March 9, 2011. Charles Sykes—AP  Snoop Dogg and Donald Trump arrive at the Comedy Central Roast of Donald Trump in New York on March 9, 2011. Charles Sykes—AP  Martha Stewart and Donald Trump at Richard "Skip" Bronson's, "The War at the Shore" Book Publication Party held at Loews Regency Hotel in New York City on June 11, 2012. Sylvain Gaboury—Sipa USA  Tiger Woods stands with Donald Trump as he holds the Gene Serazen Cup for winning the Cadillac Championship golf tournament on March 10, 2013, in Doral, Fla. Wilfredo Lee—AP  Donald Trump and recording artist and host Nick Jonas joke around onstage during the 2013 Miss USA pageant at PH Live at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino on June 16, 2013 in Las Vegas. 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