Oligarchs and the Trump Admin: Ronald Lauder

Ronald Lauder

Net worth: ~4.9 Billion (As of July 1, 2026, per Forbes)

Who is Ronald Lauder?

• Ronald Lauder is a billionaire cosmetics magnate and longtime Trump ally. The Lauder-Trump relationship goes back over 60 years to when the pair attended the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School together.
  • In 2018, Lauder praised Trump as a “man of incredible insight and intelligence.” 

• As his name suggests, Lauder is an heir to the Estée Lauder, a multinational cosmetics conglomerate linked to child-labor violations, securities fraud, and racist behavior from corporate executives.
  • In 2023, a BBC investigation into Aerin Beauty—a luxury fragrance maker owned by Estée Lauder—found evidence of modern-day slavery in the company’s perfume supply chain, despite the brand’s “claim to have zero tolerance on child labour.”
    • BBC journalists reportedly “witnessed that, at four different locations, a significant number of pickers working on smallholder farms – which supply the main factories – were children under the age of 15. Multiple sources also told us that there were children working on farms directly owned by the Machalico factory, so we went undercover to film there and found pickers who told us their ages ranged from 12 to 14.”
  • A 2011 investigation by the New York Times revealed how the billionaire abused philanthropy and other accounting loopholes to avoid paying taxes on his wealth.

• Lauder is also a GOP mega donor. He spent millions to support Trump’s 2016 and 2020 presidential campaigns, as well as Ron Desantis’ 2018 and 2022 gubernatorial campaigns.
  • In 2022, Lauder pumped over $10 million into Lee Zeldin’s failed run for governor of New York in 2022, prompting an investigation from the state’s Board of Elections.

• While Lauder initially refused to back Trump’s 2024 bid (opting to support Nikki Haley’s campaign instead), he ultimately donated $5 million to Trump’s Super PAC, MAGA Inc., in March 2025.
  • The donation, according to the New York Times, “could be interpreted as an olive branch from Mr. Lauder, who had drifted from Mr. Trump’s orbit after criticizing him while he was out of office in 2022 for hosting Nick Fuentes, an outspoken antisemite and Holocaust denier, for dinner at Mar-a-Lago.”

What Does Ronald Lauder Have To Gain From The Trump Administration?

• Lauder is reportedly responsible for convincing Trump to annex Greenland from Denmark, an action that would benefit his business interests. According toThe Guardian, “As Trump has ratcheted up his threats to seize Greenland, Lauder has acquired commercial holdings there.”
  • The Guardian  also noted that Lauder is “part of the consortium whose desire to access Ukrainian minerals appears to have spurred Trump to demand a share of the war-torn country’s resources.”

How is Ronald Lauder Leading The Trump right-wing, pro-corporate Agenda?

• Lauder is the current President of World Jewish Congress who has been acting as an unofficial White House quasi-lobbyist for Israel.
  • In October 2023 Politico reported:
    • “Privately, he’s been making calls to a bipartisan group of lawmakers and world leaders to build support for security efforts. ‘Mr[.] Lauder has been in regular contact with foreign leaders across Europe and the Middle East to build support for Israeli and American security efforts,’ said a spokesperson for the Estée Lauder heir, who requested anonymity to speak freely.”
  • Despite his recent criticisms of Benjamin Netanyahu, Lauder is largely responsible for the Israeli Prime Minister’s rise to power. In 2018, Lauder was questioned by Israeli police over gifts he had given Netanyahu.

For more information, see the Revolving Door Project’s Oligarchs in Trump World tracker.

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Image Credit: “Ronald S Lauder” by Michael Thaidigsmann is licensed under CC BY 2.0.