Billionaire Marc Rowan Donates $1.5M to AIPAC Super PAC While Serving on Trump's Gaza Board
The CEO of Apollo Global Management is simultaneously advising on Gaza's future and funding political spending against pro-Palestine candidates in U.S. elections.
What happened
Marc Rowan, an $8 billion billionaire and CEO of Apollo Global Management, donated $1.5 million to United Democracy Project (UDP), AIPAC's super PAC, since the start of 2024, according to FEC filings. His first donation of $1 million came in early March as UDP began spending against Rep. Thomas Massie, a critic of U.S. support for Israel. A second $500,000 donation arrived July 23, the same day UDP spent nearly $50,000 on mailers attacking pro-Palestine Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed in Michigan and $100,000 on phone banking against former Rep. Cori Bush in Missouri. Rowan is an executive member of Trump's "Board of Peace," a UN-approved body tasked with carrying out Trump's plan for Gaza. He has also directly funded numerous pro-Israel candidates across both parties.
Context
Rowan's dual role as a Gaza board member and major AIPAC donor creates a concentration of influence over U.S. policy toward Israel and Gaza reconstruction decisions, while simultaneously funding electoral spending to eliminate political opponents of Israeli military aid. As public support for Israel has declined and leftist candidates increasingly campaign on arms embargoes, AIPAC has increased spending to record levels, and Rowan's contributions represent part of this broader effort to consolidate pro-Israel political power. His position on the Gaza board—a body not elected by Americans or Palestinians—combined with his ability to fund campaigns targeting elected officials who oppose military aid to Israel, illustrates the mechanism by which major donors can shape foreign policy. The Massie and El-Sayed contests became among the most expensive primaries on record.
What's disputed
It is not clear which specific UDP efforts were backed by Rowan's donations specifically. Rowan and UDP did not respond to requests for comment.