Billionaire Trump Fan Helped Ex-President With $175 Million Bond

A Donald Trump supporter stepped up to help the embattled former president secure the bond he needed to appeal the whopping $450 million-plus judgment that was handed down in his civil fraud trial.

Billionaire Don Hankey’s Knight Specialty Insurance Company, which is based in California, underwrote the $175 million bond that Trump sought, according to a Monday court filing.

“I’d say it’s more of a business decision, but I happen to be a supporter also,” Hankey told ABC News.

Speaking with Forbes, Hankey said that his company reached out to Trump’s team about a possible deal even though the two met had never met.

“This is what we do at Knight Insurance,” Hankey told Forbes. “I’d never met Donald Trump. I’d never talked to him on the phone. I heard that he needed a loan or a bond, and this is what we do. So, we reached out, and he responded.”

Hankey reportedly offered to post the original amount of Trump’s bond before Judge Arthur Engoron lowered it from around half a billion dollars to $175 million. Trump had complained the amount was too high, and he could not find a company willing to underwrite it.

The issue led to speculation that New York Attorney General Letitia James might begin to seize Trump’s real estate assets — a prospect that is, for now, on hold.

“We have the liquidity and I’m just happy to provide it,” Hankey told Bloomberg.

Trump reportedly handed over a combination of cash and bonds to Knight Insurance. The bond makes it possible for him to appeal the verdict in his civil fraud trial without having to begin payments.

A search of public records shows that Hankey donated $2,700 to Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign, the maximum individual limit at the time. The vast majority of his donations have been to