Rupert Murdoch Donates Over $us2 Million to PACs
- Media mogul Rupert Murdoch has contributed more than $US2 million to Republican political committees this year to support the party's congressional majority ambitions, smh.com.au reported.
- Murdoch directed his largest contribution on May 3, 2026, sending $US2 million to SLF PAC.
- Later in the year, the Murdoch patriarch added two separate $US10,000 donations to the California Republican Party Federal Account in August 2026.
Media mogul Rupert Murdoch has contributed more than $US2 million to Republican political committees this year to support the party’s congressional majority ambitions, smh.com.au reported. The donations come despite ongoing legal battles and tensions between Murdoch and US President Donald Trump.
Federal Election Commission filings show multimillion-dollar donations
Murdoch directed his largest contribution on May 3, 2026, sending $US2 million to SLF PAC. The political action committee focuses on expanding Republican control in the Senate, according to Federal Election Commission receipts cited by smh.com.au.
Later in the year, the Murdoch patriarch added two separate $US10,000 donations to the California Republican Party Federal Account in August 2026. News Corp did not respond to requests for comment regarding the filings.
Legal friction shadows ongoing political funding
The political spending persists despite considerable friction between Murdoch and Trump. Court filings from defamation litigation brought by Dominion Voting Systems revealed that the elder Murdoch wanted to make Trump a non-person before Fox reached a $US787.5 million settlement in April 2023.
Rupert Murdoch paid his ex-wife $110 million instead of half his fortune. 26 years later, three of his own children walked away from his empire with a reported $3.3 billion between them, $1.1 billion each.He was 93. They were 66, 56 and 51. And a Nevada court had just called… pic.twitter.com/ervI6pzEF2
Relations deteriorated further in July 2025 after The Wall Street Journal reported on a letter allegedly from Trump appearing in a birthday book for the late financier Jeffrey Epstein. Trump subsequently launched a defamation lawsuit against the Journal and Murdoch, which a District Court judge dismissed in April 2026 before Trump’s lawyers refiled it in May 2026.
Fox News actions highlight institutional strains
Tensions also surfaced when Fox News joined other networks in September 2026 to boycott coverage of Trump following attacks on the press. Murdoch and his advisers may anticipate Trump’s eventual departure from office, yet financial support for the party’s legislative ambitions continues unchanged.