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    Robert Mercer Is A Force To Be Reckoned With In Finance And Conservative Politics

    He and his daughter Rebekah have quietly emerged as powerful donors to Republican candidates and causes, including President Trump.
    by Jim Zarroli May 26, 2017 5 minutes
    Robert Mercer speaks on the phone during the 12th International Conference on Climate Change on March 23, 2017.

    When Robert Mercer accepted a lifetime achievement award from a technology group in 2014, the Renaissance Technologies co-CEO summed up his career modestly.

    "What I am is simply a computer programmer," he told the crowd.

    In fact, both professionally and politically, Mercer is much more than that.

    At 70, Mercer is an American success story, having helped turn Renaissance into one of the most profitable hedge funds in the world, and by all accounts becoming very rich in the process.

    Along the way, he and his daughter Rebekah have become a force to be reckoned with in conservative politics, contributing lavishly to right-wing causes in the United States and even Europe.

    According to , in 2016 Mercer gave some $25 million to conservative groups and candidates, including President Trump. Last year, , alongside better-known figures such as George Soros, Sheldon

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