In a significant political development, billionaire philanthropist George Soros and his family have been major financial backers of New York Attorney General Letitia James, a prominent legal opponent of former US President Donald Trump. Campaign finance records reveal a sustained pattern of donations exceeding $70,000 to James's campaigns since her first run for the office.
A History of Financial Support
The financial backing from the Soros family began in 2018 when Letitia James first campaigned for the position of New York's top legal officer. Between July and September 2018, Soros's son Jonathan and his wife, Jennifer Allan Soros, contributed a total of $10,000 to her initial campaign.
This support continued steadily over the years. From 2021 to 2022, George Soros himself donated a total of $20,000 to the 'James for NY' campaign. In 2022, Jonathan and Jennifer made another significant contribution of $10,000. The most recent donation occurred on 28 May of this year, with Jennifer Allan Soros contributing $13,000 to the "James for NY 2026" campaign, as James is up for re-election in 2026.
Interestingly, Soros had also contributed to this 2026 campaign a year prior, donating $18,000 on 10 July 2024. According to data from the New York State Board of Elections, the cumulative donations from the Soros family to James's campaigns now stand at over $70,000.
Beyond Direct Campaign Funding
The financial ties extend beyond direct campaign contributions. Since Trump's first term in office, George Soros has also directed substantial funds to the Working Families Party (WFP), a political party that Attorney General James also represents alongside the Democrats. Records show Soros has pumped $865,000 into the Working Families Party since 2018, further solidifying the alignment of political interests.
The Legal and Political Context
The donations are not surprising given the well-documented political rivalry between George Soros and Donald Trump. Soros, a vocal critic, has publicly labelled Trump a "con man" and a "would-be-dictator" since his first presidency. Trump has repeatedly retaliated, attacking Soros for allegedly funding far-left causes and, as recently as September, suggesting his administration would investigate the billionaire following the Charlie Kirk incident, hinting at a potential RICO case.
Letitia James has emerged as one of Trump's most formidable legal adversaries. Her office has secured major legal victories against him, including the dissolution of the Trump Foundation and a landmark civil fraud judgment initially imposing a $500 million penalty in 2024. Although an appeals court overturned this specific penalty in August this year, deeming the sum excessive, it upheld the finding that Trump was liable for fraud.
In response to Trump's threats of investigation, the Open Society Foundations (OSF), Soros's major philanthropic group, stated it would not be intimidated, characterizing such efforts as an attempt to silence dissenting speech and undermine First Amendment rights.
The sustained financial support from one of the world's most influential philanthropists to a leading legal official targeting a former president underscores the deep political divisions and the high-stakes nature of legal battles in contemporary American politics.
