This ex-hedge fund manager is Trump’s secret fundraising weapon

Duke Buchan III is emerging as Donald Trump’s secret weapon in the presidential-campaign fundraising competition.

The former hedge-fund manager and major Republican donor who became National Finance Chair of the Republican National Committee in early 2022 is relying on his deep contacts in the financial world and a persistent, low-key approach. Buchan, who grew up on a tobacco-and-cattle farm near Middleburg, N.C., and now lives in Palm Beach, Fla., and New York, has raised tens of millions of dollars, becoming the person most responsible for surging megadonor money, according to people close to the campaign.

Buchan, 61, led recent high-profile events including a London fundraiser with Donald Trump Jr. and his fiancée, Kimberly Guilfoyle, that brought in $2.5 million, and a splashy Palm Beach dinner at the home of investor John Paulson featuring Trump that resulted in a $50.5 million windfall.

Buchan’s wife, Hannah Flournoy Buchan, also a Wall Street veteran, is playing an important role, too. She is the host of a scheduled fundraiser on Monday in New York City featuring an appearance by Melania Trump that is expected to raise more than $1 million, according to people close to the campaign.

Campaign officials have been surprised that Trump has done so well in his fundraising effort. Their original, internal projections estimated that Trump would raise as much as 50% less than President Biden, according to someone close to the matter.

Buchan declined to comment.

Buchan’s father was a farmer who devoted much of his free time to playing poker. After he died at a young age, the family pitched in to run farms they owned, some of which date back generations. Buchan, who had an early obsession with the World Book Encyclopedia,