Manchester United director Glazer donates $220,000 to Trump ahead of midterms
Manchester United director Edward Glazer has emerged as the leading donor to President Trump’s Republican Party among the Premier League’s sizeable American ownership contingent ahead of the US midterm elections.
Glazer, whose family owns the majority of Manchester United, has donated over $220,000 to the Republican National Committee in 2026 through his Tampa Bay Buccaneers NFL team, according to declarations collected by City AM from the Federal Election Commission of the United States of America.
His $221,502 (£166,000) contribution spans eight separate donations, ranging from four installments of $36,917 in February, March, April and June down to $7,383 in the middle of 2026.
Manchester United’s total debt is above £1bn, driven by borrowings and credit drawdowns. The wider Glazer family are estimated to have made around £1.3bn during their tenure as Manchester United owners while the club’s on-field fortunes have dwindled.
Midterms control at stake
Tuesday’s midterm vote could see both the House of Representatives and Senate fall into Democrat hands, threatening the remainder of Trump’s second term. There are fears he may become a lame duck president, and could be impeached over a number of issues ranging from Iran to historic Capital Building riots and more.
But Glazer isn’t the biggest political donor out of the increasingly Americanised Premier League ownership group. Crystal Palace co-owner Josh Harris has donated $250,000 to SLF PAC, an independent Republican-aligned lobby group, through his Apollo Global Management firm. His business partner David Blitzer — who alongside Harris owns a stake in the Washington Commanders NFL team who have touted naming their new arena the President Trump Stadium — has donated $63,875 to mostly Democrat runners for Congress and the House of Representatives. Dan Goldman, Donald Norcross, Wesley Bell, Ritchie Torres, Roy Cooper (all Democrat) and Bill Cassidy (Republican) are all Blitzer beneficiaries.
Manchester United, Glazer and donations
Bill Foley, owner of AFC Bournemouth as well as Prem Rugby team Exeter Chiefs through his Black Knight consortium, has donated $201,500 to a mixture of party representatives, including $125,000 to Leadership in Action, a firm that has backed Republican Aaron Flint to the tune of over $200,000 this year.
Ipswich investor Marc Lasry has donated $7,300 to Democrat causes while Aston Villa co-owner Wes Edens has donated $5,000 to Republican-sympathetic candidate Mike Crapo.
Former Chelsea owner Todd Boehly has spent $46,200 backing Republican organisations and lobby groups ahead of the midterms.
But the likes of Arsenal owner Stan Kroenke and Fulham’s Shahid Khan have not yet donated to any political cause, according to the Federal Election Commission of the United States of America register.
The midterms take place on Tuesday with Trump’s Republican party defending its three-seat lead in the Senate – the Democrats would need four gains to take the house due to any 50-50 tie being broken by Vice President JD Vance – and their one-seat lead in the House of Representatives.