Trump Got His $175 Million Bond From a Billionaire Fan’s Company

Don Hankey’s Knight Specialty Insurance helped arrange bond
He’s also an investor in Axos, which refinanced Trump Tower

Donald Trump
Photographer: Win McNamee/Getty Images

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By Erik Larson

April 2, 2024 at 3:14 AM UTC

Updated on

April 2, 2024 at 1:40 PM UTC

This article is for subscribers only.

A billionaire Donald Trump supporter whose California company is known for subprime auto loans and who has ties to one of the former president’s banks arranged his $175 million appeal bond in New York state’s civil fraud suit, though he said politics had nothing to do with it.

Don Hankey, whose fortune stems from car dealerships, real estate and financial services, is chairman of Knight Specialty Insurance Co., which posted Trump’s bond on Monday, three days before a court-imposed deadline. It gives Trump a lifeline by putting a $454 million judgment on hold while he appeals.