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AIPROPX ReportForbes · 3h ago
What To Know About Josh Kushner’s Left-Leaning Politics—Amid Speculation Of Trump Role In Lakers Deal
Topline Josh Kushner, the younger brother of Jared Kushner, President Donald Trump’s son-in-law and adviser, has raised speculation lately about how his connection to Trump might have aided his sports financing deals—but based on what’s publicly known about his politics, they differ greatly from his brother’s.
Kusher, along with former Disney CEO Bob Iger, bought majority ownership in the Lakers, it was announced Wednesday, weeks after a deal for Kushner’s Thrive Capital to invest in a FIFA offshoot fell through—two deals tangentially connected to the Trump administration.
While the White House has said Trump had no involvement in the Lakers deal and Trump himself has denied involvement in the FIFA plan, the links between Kushner and Trump have been hard to ignore, though Kushner and Trump don’t align politically.
Kushner, described in a 2017 Forbes article as his brother’s best friend and so close to Ivanka he referred to her as his “sister” rather than “sister-in-law,” told us at the time, “it’s no secret that liberal values have guided my life and that I have supported political leaders that share similar values.”
Kushner did not vote for Trump in 2016, nor did he attend Trump’s first inauguration, but he was spotted that year at the Women’s March in Washington, D.C.
He has donated to liberal causes, including $50,000 to March for Our Lives in 2018, according to Axios , and $250,000 to Growth Democrats political action committee in 2024, New York magazine reported .
His wife, model Karlie Kloss, has been outspoken about how her political views differ from her in-laws, telling Bloomberg last month she has never met Trump and that she and her husband are Democrats.
“I’m a Democrat, and I think it’s possible to have relationships with people who you politically don’t align with,” Kloss told Bloomberg.
In addition to Jared Kushner, their father, Charles Kushner, is a close Trump ally. He donated $1 million to Trump’s main super PAC in 2023. In 2020, Trump pardoned the elder Kushner after he pleaded guilty to tax evasion, illegal campaign donations and witness tampering, among other charges. Charles Kushner now serves as U.S. ambassador to France and Monaco.
We estimate Josh Kushner is worth $5.2 billion.
Kushner, founder of Thrive Capital, and Iger, who joined Thrive earlier this year after leaving Disney, bought a majority stake in the Lakers from Mark Walter at a $12.5 billion valuation, the largest sports deal in history. Walter, owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers and Chelsea Premier League soccer team, purchased the Lakers from the Buss family at a $10 billion valuation just 14 months ago. The quick turnaround, overlapping with a federal probe into Walter’s financial firm, has raised eyebrows about why he unloaded the team so quickly, particularly after making significant investments to restructure the business. Adding another layer to the conspiracy theories is that Kushner’s deal to lead an investor group in buying a portion of FIFA’s business, including the World Cup, just fell through. The Justice Department and Securities and Exchange Commission are looking into possible fraud related to private-credit deals involving insurers Walter owns and his Guggenheim Partners financial services firm, multiple outlets reported. Meanwhile, a coalition of FIFA members and executives effectively blocked the sale of a new FIFA spinoff to Thrive and other private investors, citing resistance to the involvement of private equity in the nonprofit FIFA organization. Trump has maintained he had no involvement in the FIFA deal, and the White House told Front Office Sports on Wednesday the Lakers sale “has nothing to do with President Trump or his administration.”
Josh Kushner’s Complex World: How Jared’s Liberal Brother Runs A Billion Dollar Fund In Trump Era (Forbes)
Mark Walter’s Lakers Sale To Josh Kushner Prompts Conspiracy Theories About Trump Influence (Forbes)
Billionaire Josh Kushner, Former Disney CEO Bob Iger Buy Los Angeles Lakers In Record $12.5 Billion Deal (Forbes)
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