Convicted Nikola founder Milton donates to Trump while facing prison

Between September and October 2024, Trevor Milton and his wife made substantial donations to political committees aligned with Donald Trump and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Milton had been convicted of federal securities and wire fraud in October 2022 over misrepresentations about his hydrogen-truck company Nikola Corporation, sentenced in December 2023 to four years in prison, and was free on appeal. Federal prosecutors were seeking roughly $676 million in restitution. Five months later, Trump granted Milton a full pardon.

Per Federal Election Commission filings reported by Fox 13 News and The Wall Street Journal, the contributions included Milton's giving to the Trump 47 Committee (itemized separately in the FEC record), $750,000 to the Make America Healthy Again Alliance on September 18, 2024, $284,500 to the Republican National Committee in three October 10 tranches, and $10,000 each to the Republican parties in 44 states on the same day. WSJ aggregates Milton's giving to organizations and PACs raising funds for Kennedy at roughly $1.4 million; specific committee names beyond MAHA Alliance are not itemized in the public reporting. By the time of those donations, Kennedy had dropped out of the presidential race and endorsed Trump.

Trump told Milton during the pardon call that Kennedy, now Secretary of Health and Human Services, had said "great things" about him. Milton has said the donations were unrelated to the pardon. A White House spokesperson told WSJ that any donations Milton "may or may not have made played absolutely no role" in the president's decision.

Separately, Milton donated $15,000 to Utah Attorney General Sean Reyes in 2020, which Reyes's campaign later refunded.