How Jeff Yass Bought Trump’s TikTok Flip-Flop: Billionaire Gave $16M to Trump Super PAC Just Weeks Before President Delayed TikTok Ban
“For billionaires like Yass, politicians aren’t public servants, they’re investment vehicles, expected to deliver returns.”
PHILADELPHIA – As Jeff Yass continues to reap profits from Trump’s delays of a TikTok ban, he’s sharing the wealth with the president. New campaign finance reports show that the Pennsylvania billionaire and TikTok investor made a large donation to Donald Trump just weeks before the president abruptly reversed course on banning TikTok. The $16 million donation to MAGA Inc. marks Yass’s first public financial support for Trump. Yass’s net worth has surged after the reversed ban, growing to over $65.7 billion according to Forbes.
FEC filings also show that Yass is ramping up his spending ahead of the 2026 midterms and is on track to spend about $150 million on the 2025 cycle—50% more than he did in the 2024.
Arielle Klagsbrun, Pennsylvania Campaign Director with ACRE and member of the All Eyes On Yass campaign, said:
“Jeff Yass’s $16 million to MAGA Inc. reveals the playbook for how billionaires use their wealth to shape policy and serve their own financial interests. Yass made his fortune betting on TikTok. Just weeks after cutting a massive check to Trump’s super PAC, the president suddenly reversed course on banning the app, skyrocketing Yass’s net worth and solidifying his loyalty to the president. For billionaires like Yass, politicians aren’t public servants, they’re investment vehicles, expected to deliver returns. We’ve seen this first hand in Pennsylvania, where Yass has given to one in three PA state legislators, lobbied for school vouchers and spent big to tilt the scales of justice and rewrite the rules to benefit the ultra-wealthy. With Pennsylvania’s Supreme Court on the line in November, we’ll be making sure that billionaires like Yass and Musk can’t corrupt our highest courts for their personal gain.”
Other top recipients of 2025 Yass spending include:
$10 million to Vivek Ramaswamy’s V-PAC, backing the far-right candidate’s campaign for Governor of Ohio
$10 million to School Freedom Fund, a federal PAC pushing school vouchers and privatization
Over $1 million to the National Republican Senatorial Committee
$107,000 to Congressman Tom Emmer (R-MN), a senior member of the Financial Services Committee
$10,000 each to the Republican Parties of 33 states.