Stan Kroenke donated $1,000,000 to Donald Trump’s inauguration fund so why did he also donate $105,400 to Hillary Clinton in the Presidential race?

The new sole owner of Arsenal gifted $1,000,000 to Donald Trump just a few weeks before the USA’s 45th President was sworn into office.

That is not news.

Kroenke is known to be a Republican supporter and had donated almost $300,000 to their campaigns between 2000 and 2013 according to James Montague, writing in his excellent book, ‘The Billionaire’s Club’.

WASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 20: Attendees line the Mall as they watch ceremonies to swear in Donald Trump on Inauguration Day on January 20, 2017 in Washington, DC. Donald J. Trump will become the 45th president of the United States today. (Photo by Lucas Jackson - Pool/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC – JANUARY 20: Attendees line the Mall as they watch ceremonies to swear in Donald Trump on Inauguration Day on January 20, 2017 in Washington, DC. Donald J. Trump will become the 45th president of the United States today. (Photo by Lucas Jackson – Pool/Getty Images)

As I made my way through the book, which offers an in-depth look at the complex political web that operates behind the scenes in the world of football club ownership in the 21st century, I was struck by the claim that Kroenke also donated to Hillary Clinton in the Presidential race.

Republicans don’t generally like democrats and most seem to take pride in their hatred of Clinton. A donation to help her in any way certainly catches your attention.

Montague suggests that it could be because of Kroenke’s wife’s family’s business, Wal-Mart.

WASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 20: (L-R) Former first lady Rosalynn Carter, Former U.S. President Bill Clinton, former first lady Hillary Clinton, and former President George W. Bush attend the inauguration of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump on the West Front of the U.S. Capitol on January 20, 2017 in Washington, DC. In today's inauguration ceremony Donald J. Trump becomes the 45th president of the United States. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC – JANUARY 20: (L-R) Former first lady Rosalynn Carter, Former U.S. President Bill Clinton, former first lady Hillary Clinton, and former President George W. Bush attend the inauguration of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump on the West Front of the U.S. Capitol on January 20, 2017 in Washington, DC. In today’s inauguration ceremony Donald J. Trump becomes the 45th president of the United States. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

“Despite the Walton family’s apparent championing of small government policies,” Montague writes, “Wal-Mart has famously become a huge recipient of government subsidies, dubbed by critics as ‘Corporate Welfare’: by paying rock-bottom wages to its 1.4 million staff, the state effectively has to subsidise them with food stamps, housing, and other benefits.

“A 2014 report by the political advocacy group Americans for Tax Fairness placed that figure at a staggering $6.2 billion. Wal-Mart’s employment practices became a campaign issue during the 2016 American presidential election primaries, and that perhaps explains why Kroenke backed Clinton.”

On a side note, I can highly recommend Montague’s book, especially if you have an interest in politics and how the game operates behind the scenes. I’ll have a proper review of it on site soon, as well as a competition to win a copy so be sure to keep an eye out.