Federal Election Commission reports reveal that Democratic Rep. Shri Thanedar (MI-13) has taken $26,600 from multi-million-dollar Trump donors

Analysis reveals Democratic Rep. Shri Thanedar (MI-13) has taken $26,600 from multi-million-dollar Trump donors

Mismatch between his words and his donors’ actions

DETROIT — A newly published report reveals that U.S. Rep. Shri Thanedar, a Democrat running for reelection in Michigan’s 13th District, has accepted $26,600 in political contributions from wealthy donors that support President Donald Trump and his MAGA movement, despite Thanedar’s opposition and failed attempt to impeach Trump last year.

In filing articles of impeachment last year, Thanedar called on fellow members of Congress to “do the right thing,” CBS reported. Meanwhile, he was taking money from some of Trump’s largest donors to fund his reelection campaign. The deep hypocrisy is revealed in SACRED Acts’ new analysis of Thanedar’s campaign fundraising reports from his current candidacy for Michigan’s 13th Congressional District and past political campaigns. The MAGA donors highlighted in the report include a Trump appointee, the president’s 2016 campaign finance chair, and the son-in-law of a billionaire pardoned by Trump.

“Despite pouring millions of his own funds into his campaigns, Thanedar continues to accept money from anti-democratic donors, which shows us his true values,” said Denali Dasgupta, Research Director at SACRED Acts (South Asian American Coalition to Renew Democracy Acts). “How does he expect voters to believe that he will stand up to Trump when he is taking money from so many of Trump’s major donors––people who have literally dined with the President at Mar-A-Lago?”

Key Findings

• Despite Thanedar’s claims that he wants to impeach President Donald Trump, he has accepted $26,600 from multi-million-dollar donors to Trump’s campaigns, including billionaires who fund Trump’s MAGA movement.
• These grossly wealthy donors have given more than $6.5 million to Donald Trump- and MAGA-affiliated PACs and more than $4.6 million to Republican Party Committees since the January 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol.
• These grossly wealthy donors have hosted fundraisers for Donald Trump, dined at Mar-A-Lago, and their large donations have been connected to political appointments and presidential pardons for their families.

With Michigan’s primary on August 4, 2026, voters need to know the full picture about Rep. Thanedar’s financial ties with pro-Trump and pro-MAGA special interest donors.

“If Rep. Thanedar wants to impeach President Trump, why is he taking tens of thousands of dollars from the same grossly wealthy donors who helped put President Trump in office? South Asian Americans demand an answer and accountability from Rep. Thanedar,” said Pushkar Sharma, Executive Director of SACRED Acts.

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SACRED Acts renews our democracy through public education, narrative change, organizing, and action research. We build multiracial, multifaith, anti-caste coalitions rooted in equality, nonviolence, and collective liberation. We expose how wealthy South Asian Americans use money and influence to advance extremist policies that threaten democracy and the public good. We equip leaders, journalists, and the public with verified insight to understand these forces clearly.