When you think of a tech billionaire with a net worth north of $150 billion, you probably imagine them cutting massive checks to Super PACs or firing off spicy endorsements on social media. It’s what we expect. We’ve seen it with Elon Musk's high-profile pivot and Bill Gates’ more quiet, yet substantial, Democratic leanings. But when people start digging into who does Steve Ballmer support for president, they usually hit a brick wall of spreadsheets and data visualizations rather than a "Make America Great Again" hat or a "Harris-Walz" sticker.
It’s kinda weird, honestly. Ballmer, the former Microsoft CEO and current owner of the LA Clippers, is one of the richest humans to ever walk the earth. In a world where billionaires often treat political candidates like sports teams, Ballmer has taken a path that is, frankly, a bit obsessive in its neutrality.
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The Non-Endorsement Reality
The short answer? Steve Ballmer doesn’t officially support anyone for president. He hasn't endorsed a candidate in the 2024 cycle, and he didn't pick a side in 2020 either.
While other tech moguls are out here playing kingmaker, Ballmer has been very vocal about why he stays out of the fray. He basically thinks it’s not his job to tell you how to vote. He’s gone on record saying that CEOs taking extreme partisan positions "doesn’t seem right" to him.
Instead of dumping money into presidential campaigns, he’s dumped over $100 million into something called USAFacts.
What is USAFacts and why does it matter?
Think of it as a 10-K report for the United States government. If you’ve ever looked at a public company's financial filings, you know they are dense, boring, and (ideally) strictly factual. Ballmer realized back in 2017 that finding out where your tax dollars actually go is a nightmare. You get one set of "facts" from CNN and a completely different set from Fox News.
Ballmer’s goal is to "arm the public with facts" so they can make up their own minds. He even did a PSA series called "Just the Facts" during the 2024 election cycle. He wasn't telling people who to vote for; he was showing them graphs about immigration, the federal budget, and healthcare. It’s a very "engineer" way of looking at democracy. "Here is the data, you debug the country."
Following the Money: Does Ballmer Leak "Blue" or "Red"?
Even if he doesn't give a public thumbs-up to a candidate, people always look at the FEC filings. Money usually talks, even when the mouth stays shut.
If you look at the historical data, Steve Ballmer and his wife, Connie, have given to both sides. However, in recent years, their philanthropic and political spending has definitely leaned left-of-center.
- Climate Change: In 2024, the Ballmers gave $2.5 million to oppose a ballot measure in Washington state that would have killed the state's carbon market. That’s a very pro-environment, typically Democratic-aligned move.
- Gun Control: He’s previously put hundreds of thousands into gun control initiatives in Washington.
- Social Justice: Through the Ballmer Group, they’ve committed massive amounts of money to organizations focusing on economic mobility and racial equity.
But here’s the kicker: as an NBA owner, he’s part of a group that is overwhelmingly Republican in its donations. Yet, Ballmer himself remains the "exception that proves the rule." He’s spent vastly more on his nonpartisan data project than on any individual candidate.
The "Ross Perot" Influence
Ballmer has mentioned he was inspired by Ross Perot’s 1992 campaign. Perot used to buy 30-minute infomercials where he’d just hold up poster boards with charts. Ballmer loved that. He thinks the American public is smart enough to handle the raw numbers without the "pink slime" of partisan spin.
It's a noble goal, but it drives political junkies crazy. We want to put everyone in a box. We want to know if he’s a "Trump guy" or a "Harris fan." Ballmer refuses to get in the box.
Does he support Trump?
There is no record of Steve Ballmer supporting Donald Trump for president. In fact, he’s been critical of the idea of politicizing government data, which was a point of contention during the Trump administration (like when the BLS chief was fired over jobs reports).
Does he support Harris?
While his wife Connie has been linked to more progressive causes, and the Ballmer Group funds many "left-leaning" social initiatives, Steve has not written a check to the Harris Victory Fund or any similar presidential committee in 2024.
Why This Matters for 2026 and Beyond
We are living in an era of "disinformation on steroids," as Ballmer puts it. AI is making it harder to tell what's real. By staying neutral, Ballmer is trying to preserve USAFacts as a "Switzerland" of information.
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If he came out tomorrow and endorsed a candidate, half the country would immediately stop trusting his data. He’s essentially trading his political influence for institutional credibility.
Actionable Insights: How to Use the "Ballmer Method"
If you’re tired of the noise this election cycle, you can actually use the tools Ballmer built to decide for yourself who you support.
- Check the "Government 10-K": Go to USAFacts.org and look at the "Annual Report." It’s the closest thing we have to a non-partisan audit of the country.
- Verify the Source: Before sharing a "fact" about a candidate's record, see if the data comes from a government agency (like the Bureau of Labor Statistics) or a partisan think tank. Ballmer only uses the former.
- Look at Results, Not Rhetoric: Politicians love to talk about what they will do. Ballmer’s data shows what has actually happened over the last decade. Look at the trends in crime, inflation, and healthcare costs across different administrations.
Steve Ballmer might be the only billionaire in America who thinks his opinion on the president isn't any more important than yours. He’s not going to tell you who to vote for. He’s just going to give you the receipts and let you do the math.
To get a clearer picture of how the candidates' platforms align with actual historical data, you can start by comparing the current administration's spending reports against the stated goals of the opposition. Use the USAFacts "Impact" tool to see how specific policies—like tax cuts or social spending—have historically affected the national debt.