Questions are swirling after the U.S. Department of Defense confirmed it has accepted an anonymous gift of $130 million to help pay the troops during the federal government shutdown. President Donald Trump earlier this week told reporters a “friend” of his offered to cover the soldiers’ salaries. Reportedly, the Pentagon is limited in what private gifts it can receive and how they may be used.

“By the way, a man, a friend of mine,” the President said on Thursday, “a friend of mine, a man that’s great — I’m not gonna use his name unless he lets me do it.”

“He called us the other day,” Trump continued, “and he said, ‘I’d like to contribute any shortfall you have because of the Democrats’ shutdown. I’d like to contribute, personally contribute, any shortfall you have with the military, because I love the military, I love the country, and any shortfall, if there’s a shortfall, I’ll contribute it.'”

“And today, he sent us a check for $130 million.”

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On Friday, Defense Department Chief Pentagon Spokesman Sean Parnell confirmed the payment, according to PBS NewsHour’s Nick Schifrin:

“On October 23, 2025, the @DeptofWar accepted an anonymous donation of $130 million under its general gift acceptance authority.  The donation was made on the condition that it be used to offset the cost of Service members’ salaries and benefits. We are grateful for this donor’s assistance after Democrats opted to withhold pay from troops.”

Bloomberg News reported that the “donation is President Donald Trump’s latest maneuver to seize greater control of government functions amid the shutdown, which has stretched into its fourth week.”

Questions immediately arose.

Defense One reporter Meghann Myers noted, “donors of amounts over $10,000 need to be vetted for conflicts of interest. Hard to do if the donor is anonymous. Or is the donor known to the Pentagon and they have agreed to withhold their identity?”

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Bloomberg reported, “While individuals can make unconditional gifts to the US Treasury, they’re credited to the general fund or used to pay down the national debt. The money can’t be spent without a congressional appropriation — and it’s that lack of an appropriation that has shut down the government.”

Former Republican Congressman Adam Kinzinger added, “The US spends roughly $16 billion per month on pay for the troops. So the idea that $130 million has somehow kept the DOD pay afloat is odd.”

Bloomberg also noted that the “$130 million total would only cover a small portion of the payroll for the nation’s roughly 1.3 million active-duty military members — averaging about $100 per person.”

The U.S. military is allowed to accept private donations, but only for “military schools, hospitals, libraries, museums, cemeteries and similar institutions, and to help service members and civilian employees who are wounded or killed in the line of duty, and their families,” Bloomberg noted.

Former U.S. diplomat Brett Bruen commented, “This doesn’t just raise major ethical concerns, it raises serious security concerns. Our military should be benefiting from or beholden to no one other than the American people.”

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Dr. Mehmet Oz, the head of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), said the ultimate goal of the American health care system is to help increase the U.S. gross domestic product (GDP) by “trillions” of dollars.

The United States is the only high-income nation in the developed world without any form of universal health care.

The CMS Administrator’s remarks come just as millions of Americans are anxiously waiting to see by how much their health insurance premiums will rise next year. Many are expected to at least double without the Affordable Care Act subsidies that will expire at the end of this year unless Congress and the President act.

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“What the health care system should do is not just pay the bills,” Oz told Fox Business‘ Maria Bartiromo Friday morning.

“We should make you so healthy that you flourish in life, and you would engage the workplace.”

“Getting America back to work, full speed, getting you to work longer if you desire, that builds trillions of dollars of value to the GDP,” Oz added.

“That’s the goal of the health system,” he said.

Bartiromo agreed, saying, “Absolutely.”

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Pediatrician and public health expert Dr. Annie Andrews, who is running for the U.S. Senate from South Carolina, responded sarcastically: “Ahh yes I’ll never forget the moment I decided to pursue a career in medicine so that I could keep Americans in the workforce and boost the GDP.”

Dr. Jonathan Reiner, a professor of medicine and surgery and a CNN medical analyst, expressed disagreement with Oz: “The goal of the health system is not to build trillions of dollars for the GDP.”

Dr Oz: “We should make you so healthy that you flourish in life and you engage the workplace. Getting America back to work full speed, getting you to work longer if you desire, that builds trillions of dollars of value to the GDP. That’s the goal of the health system.” pic.twitter.com/c3K96dats1

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) October 24, 2025

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Image via Reuters

Just after pardoning the founder of Binance, President Donald Trump struggled to explain his decision — appearing unfamiliar with both the recipient and the legal issues surrounding the case that led to his conviction.

“President Trump has pardoned Changpeng Zhao,” The Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday, “the convicted founder of the crypto exchange Binance, following months of efforts by Zhao to boost the Trump family’s own crypto company.”

Asked on Thursday why he chose to issue the pardon, and if it had anything to do with Zhao’s involvement with the Trump family’s crypto business, the President responded, “Who is that?”

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“The founder of Binance,” the reporter replied.

“The recent one, yes,” Trump said. “I believe we’re talking about the same person, ’cause I do pardon a lot of people.”

“I don’t know — he was recommended by a lot of people,” Trump continued. “A lot of people say that — are you talking about the crypto person?”

“Yes.”

“A lot of people say that he wasn’t guilty of anything,” the President declared. “He served four months in jail, and they say that he was not guilty of anything, that what he did —” Trump said before the reporter interjected.

“Well,” Trump responded, “you don’t know much about crypto, you know nothing about, you know nothing about nothing. You’re fake news.”

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“But let me just tell you that he was,” Trump said, “somebody that, as I was told, I don’t know him, I don’t believe I’ve ever met him. But I’ve been told, a lot of support. He had a lot of support, and they said that what he did is not even a crime.”

“It wasn’t a crime, that he was persecuted by the Biden administration, and so I gave him a pardon at the request of a lot of very good people.”

The Wall Street Journal also reported that a “pardon will likely pave the way for Binance, the world’s largest crypto exchange, to return to the U.S. after the company pleaded guilty in 2023 to violating U.S. anti-money-laundering requirements and was barred from operating in the country.”

Collins: Can you explain why you chose to pardon the founder of Binance and did it have anything to do with his involvement with you family—

Trump: Which founder is that?

Collins: Binance. He has an involvement in your family’s business

Trump: He was recommended by a lot of… pic.twitter.com/RMOTsd1sb0

— Acyn (@Acyn) October 23, 2025

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Image via Reuters