Inside Trump billionaire backers property portfolio
The world’s richest men have had $115 billion wiped overnight in a side effect from the sweeping tariffs, which they possibly didn’t consider.
The world’s richest men have lost billions of dollars in the wake of President Donald Trump’s sweeping tariffs.
Since the announcement about the tariffs, tech billionaires who attended Mr Trump’s inauguration — Tesla founder Elon Musk, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, and Google co-founder Sergey Brin — have seen their personal net worths plummet by a combined $A115 billion, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.
Musk, who serves as Trump’s DOGE czar, remains the richest man in the world, even after the tariffs’ impacts; however, his estimated net worth has fallen by a hefty amount, tumbling from $US323 billion ($A535 billion) on April 2 to $US302 billion ($A500 billion) on April 6.
Amazon founder Bezos saw a similar decline in his personal fortune, which Bloomberg reports fell from $US213 billion ($A353 billion) on the day of the tariffs announcement to $US193 billion ($A320 billion) at the time of writing.
Meanwhile, Zuckerberg faced the most significant drop in his wealth, which fell from $US207 billion ($A343 billion) to $179 billion ($A296 billion) in the same time frame.
Lastly, Brin’s fortune plummeted from $US135 billion ($A224 billion) on April 2 to $US126 billion ($A209 billion).
Still, while the four billionaires who stood by Mr Trump’s side as his second presidency began have one key asset that — thus far — has not seen a huge drop in value in the wake of the tariffs: property.
According to Realtor, the four men own around $US1 billion ($A1.6 billion) worth of real estate, having snapped up properties across the US (and beyond), all of which are understood to have maintained — if not increased — their value in the months and years since.
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Elon Musk
Despite holding the title of the world’s richest man for some time now, 53-year-old Musk’s very modest property portfolio tells a very different financial story.
While there have been some rumours of the tech titan looking into buying up a D.C. hotel to convert it into a Mar-a-Lago style club, Musk appears mostly unencumbered by real estate.
Though he has owned various homes in the past, in 2020, the billionaire made the surprising decision to sell “almost all of his physical possessions.”
In a series of posts shared on X, which was then known as Twitter, Musk shared that he planned to “own no house,” with reports at the time revealing that he was giving up every property he still owned.
Despite multiple reports suggesting that the billionaire is buying up megamansions and compounds from Florida to Texas, the only property he is confirmed to have owned and lived in over the past few years is an incredibly modest home in Texas.
Austin, Texas
As Realtor previously reported, the only property Musk is confirmed to have owned and lived recently is a three-bedroom, ranch-style house that sits just a block from his SpaceX Starbase facility in the Brownsville, Texas, neighbourhood of Boca Chica.
The businessman announced on X that he had moved into the rental property in 2021.
“My primary home is literally a ~$50K house in Boca Chica/Starbase that I rent from SpaceX. It’s kinda awesome though,” he said.
The Brownsville property that Musk was referring to sits on a grassy street that runs down to the perimeter of Starbase and has several similar properties dotting it.
The home serves as the businessman’s official legal residence, a status he confirmed when he visited a local polling station to cast his vote in the 2024 presidential election. He had spent months campaigning for Republican Donald Trump.
“Just voted in Cameron County, Texas, home of Starbase!” Musk wrote on X on Nov 5, alongside an image of himself and several acquaintances standing outside the polling location.
Silicon Valley, California
Before decamping to the Lone Star state, the tech mogul was based in the San Francisco Bay Area, where he owned a swanky, multimillion-dollar mansion to match.
Located in Hillsborough, California, the 1916-era build offers seven bedrooms and 9.5 bathrooms across 16,000 square feet and sits on a 47.4-acre lot — one of the largest parcels of land on the San Francisco Peninsula, the listing noted.
Musk picked up the pricey property in 2017 for $US23,364,000. He later sold it for $US30 million in 2021.
Los Angeles
One of the homes that Musk sold off when he rid himself of all his possessions was a historic abode in Los Angeles that was once owned by famed actor, Gene Wilder.
According to reports, the father of 13 bought the property via a trust in 2013, paying $US6.75 million for the home, which is “nestled in the exclusive Bel Air neighbourhood.”
Though he went on to sell it off, it’s clear that the home held a special place in Musk’s heart, with the entrepreneur noting that his one “stipulation” in his move to let go of his material holdings was that the Wilder house could not be torn down.
In the end, Musk sold the property to Wilder’s nephew, filmmaker Jordan Walker-Pearlman, even loaning the buyer a whopping $US6.7 million ($A9.9 million) in order to help him pay for the $US7 million ($A10.3 million) house.
That fairy-tale story turned to a nightmare in August, however, when it was revealed that Musk had moved to foreclose on the home after Walker-Pearlman fell behind on his loan repayments, prompting Musk to file a notice of default.
The home price was slashed to $US9.5 million ($A15.2 million), before being taken off the market.
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Elon Musk’s very humble $50,000 home where he really lives
Jeff Bezos
As for the second richest man, Amazon founder Bezos has an array of dazzling domiciles to match.
His real estate holdings became the subject of much speculation in 2022, when he announced that he and partner Lauren Sanchez were making their primary residence in Florida, a move that the Amazon founder said was motivated largely by a desire to be closer to his parents.
In February, it was revealed that Bezos enjoyed another perk as a result of his relocation: saving hundreds of millions of dollars in taxes.
According to CNBC, the businessman stands to save “at least $US610 million” in taxes that he would have had to pay if he was still living full-time in Washington state.
Seattle, Washington
Bezos is one of several billionaires who own properties in the ultraexclusive Washington enclave of Medina, which is also home to the likes of Bill Gates and former Microsoft executive, Charles Simonyi.
Four years after he founded Amazon, Bezos — who is worth $US244 billion ($A391 billion) — spent $US10 million ($A16 million), along with now-ex-wife MacKenzie Scott, buying up two homes that sit on a 5-acre plot in the Hunts Point neighbourhood.
In 2010, the duo reportedly spent $US28 million to extensively renovate the estate, which boasts 310 feet of private shoreline and its own boathouse.
In order to maximise space (and privacy), Bezos also purchased an adjacent property in that same year — an expansive 24,000-square-foot mansion that was reportedly listed for $US53 million, although it is unclear whether the Amazon CEO paid that hefty sum or managed to snag a discount.
That home would ultimately serve as the business mogul’s primary residence for the next decade until 2023, when he announced his move to Florida. However, he appears to be holding on to his Seattle stake at least for now.
Indian Creek Island, Florida
Bezos launched his e-commerce company in Washington state in the mid-1990s and built an enormous compound there.
However, he’s since declared that Florida is his new state of choice. And he has the properties to prove it.
The billionaire now owns three pricey places on Indian Creek Island, the third he picked up for a reported $US90 million ($A144 million) in 2024.
According to reports, he plans to raze the other two properties, which he picked up for a combined $US147 million ($A235 million), and live in the most recent purchase while awaiting construction to complete.
Indian Creek Island, which is known as “Billionaire Bunker” because of its residents’ extraordinary wealth, is also home to the likes of Ivanka Trump and Tom Brady, although Bezos is understood to be its richest inhabitant.
The neighbourhood, which comprises just 34 homes and 40-odd residents, is guarded by its very own police force, ensuring the utmost safety for its wealthy homeowners.
Washington, DC
The owner of the storeyed Washington Post owns a similarly storeyed estate in the nation’s capital, dropping a reported $US23 million for the compound in 2017.
The acquisition includes two large, historical buildings and a chauffeur’s residence and garage, totalling nearly 27,000 square feet of interior space.
The entire lot measures more than 34,000 square feet, with landscaped gardens and lawns.
It had been marketed as “perfect for a school or embassy or an exceptional private home.”
New York City, NY
The Blue Origin founder also has a huge pied-à-terre in New York City. He owns a $US16 million, three-bedroom apartment, purchased in 2020.
That’s in addition to $US80 million worth of units in the building, including a three-storey penthouse and two apartments on the level right below it. In 2019, building permits were filed to combine the units.
Beverly Hills, California
The lavish spending continued to the West Coast, where in 2020, Bezos dropped a record $165 million for David Geffen‘s Los Angeles mansion, the Wall Street Journal reported.
Known as the Warner Estate, the 9-acre spread was built for the now-late former president of Warner Bros, Jack Warner.
The parcel features “expansive terraces, sprawling gardens, several guesthouses, a tennis court and its own 9-hole golf course,” according to the WSJ.
Maui, Hawaii
The Amazon founder reportedly added one more property to his cart. The billionaire and his partner, Lauren Sánchez, picked up a 14-acre estate on the Hawaii island of Maui.
The cost of the off-market transaction was reported to be in the neighbourhood of $US78 million.
The offering is said to include a main house, a guesthouse, and a pool. The holding encompasses seven parcels of land and a fish pond with a private, white-sand beach.
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Mark Zuckerberg
Meta CEO Zuckerberg, 40, has splashed out a considerable amount of money on his real estate empire.
The Facebook co-founder owns pricey properties in Palo Alto, Lake Tahoe, and Hawaii.
Palo Alto, California
The site of the beginnings of social media platform Facebook, Palo Alto also is where the tech entrepreneur put down roots.
In 2011, he picked up his first home there — a $US7 million residence in the Crescent Park neighbourhood.
Built in 1903, the restored space offers wood floors, a saltwater pool, banquet-size dining room, glassed-in sunroom, five bedrooms, and five bathrooms.
It wouldn’t be his last: After Zuckerberg’s marriage to Priscilla Chan in 2012, the two invested in four more surrounding homes, for a total of $US30 million, according to Architectural Digest.
Lake Tahoe, California
The Chan-Zuckerbergs have spent years vacationing on the shores of Lake Tahoe and, in 2018 and 2019, the tech mogul snapped up two properties in the area for a combined $US59 million.
One of the homes, known as the Carousel Estate, has already been razed, and plans are reportedly in place for a sprawling compound of nearly 10 acres. The plans include a “20,000-square-foot, 35-foot-tall main residence with a timber and glass facade,” along with “a new bunkhouse, a gym, a gatehouse, multiple guesthouses, and offices,” according to Forbes.
The compound will include nature trails, walkways, and additional development.
Kauai, Hawaii
If the family really wants to get away, they can head to their spread on the Hawaii island of Kauai.
In 2014, the Chan Zuckerbergs reportedly shelled out $US100 million for two huge tracts of land on Kauai’s North Shore, creating a 700-acre spread for family getaways.
The land has 2,500 feet of ocean frontage as well as a working organic farm. The couple made plans to build a 6,100-square-foot, two-bedroom residence on the property, along with a 16-bay garage complex and a “ranch administration building” that includes keycard-protected offices and security headquarters.
But the land grab continued. In 2021, Zuck and Chan purchased a reported 595.4 acres for $US53 million from the non-profit Waioli Corporation.
This property is adjacent to the land bought in 2014. That same year, they scooped up another 110 acres for $US17 million.
The land reportedly includes a former sugar plantation and the Ka Loko reservoir.
Washington, DC
Zuckerberg’s most recent property purchase was $US23 million ($A36 million) in Washington, D.C. which he quietly snapped up in an all-cash deal in March.
Located in the expensive neighbourhood of Woodland Normanstone, the five-bedroom dwelling hit the market on March 3 and sold for its exact asking price just one day later.
It is thought that, while the property’s listing and sale were made public via the Multiple Listing Service (MLS), the deal was conducted privately, given the quick turnaround of the purchase.
Despite openly criticising Mr Trump during his first term, Zuckerberg has done an about-face since the President won the 2024 election against Democratic candidate Kamala Harris, offering very public support to the Republican, even donating $US1 million ($A1.54 million) to his inaugural fund.
His purchase of the $US23 million ($A36 million) D.C. mansion came just three weeks before his latest visit to the White House on April 2, when he lobbied President Trump and his aides to settle the Federal Trade Commission’s antitrust case against Meta — which is due to go to trial on April 14.
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Sergey Brin
The Google co-founder is the seventh richest man in the world, according to the Bloomberg Index.
He’s reported to own a $US35 million ($A58 million) Malibu, California, pad that he bought in 2022, months before his divorce from lawyer Nicole Shanahan.
The 51-year-old had been spending time in the area after he and Shanahan had picked up a place together for $US13.5 million in 2020.
Set in the Point Dume area, known as the “California Riviera,” the coveted spot features a private gated beach, ocean views, and access to the Little Dume surf spot.
Built in 2005, with five bedrooms and eight baths, the swanky spot includes a chef’s kitchen with two islands, a Balinese-style cabana and pool, a separate guesthouse, and gym.
The 1-acre fenced and gated property features a vegetable garden, fruit orchard, and three-car garage.
In 2022, Brin purchased a second Malibu estate in the same Point Dume area, splashing out $US35 million.
The 6,107-square-foot “midcentury modern masterpiece” offers “spectacular” ocean and Catalina Island views, the listing notes.
The listing adds that the property boasts a “celebrity pedigree, exceptional privacy, dual owner’s suites, media room, infinity pool, and stairs to the sandy beach.”
The property includes six bedrooms, six baths and sits on just under an acre.
The lavish estate includes a pivot door, sports court, pool, and a main house with walls of glass, a fireplace, and beamed ceilings.
Other highlights include skylights, vaulted ceilings, and multiple patios and terraces.
A gated staircase leads to the wide, sandy beach at Dume Cove.
Shanahan’s alleged affair with fellow billionaire Musk is said to have prompted the divorce proceedings. Musk has denied the allegation.
Parts of this story first appeared in Realtor and was republished with permission.
Originally published as Inside Trump billionaire backers property portfolio
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