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Together, we can make a difference—join the fight. Re-subscribe today.
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Arkansas Times
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Little Rock billionaire Warren Stephens donated $4 million to President Donald Trump’s inauguration this year before landing Trump’s nomination for the ambassadorship to the United Kingdom, according to a report in the Washington Post Thursday.
Stephens, a longtime GOP megadonor, was the top individual donor to the Trump’s $239 million inauguration fund and the third overall donor, behind two corporations that gave slightly more.
In December, Trump announced he was nominating Stephens to be the nation’s top diplomat to the UK, a coveted position called “ambassador to the Court of St. James.” Stephens is still winding his way through the nomination process and has not yet been confirmed for the lofty gig. His hearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee was April 1.
Stephens is no stranger to GOP fundraising circles, having donated at least $21.9 million to Republican candidates and causes in 2023 and 2024 alone. According to The New York Times, he was one of a small circle of donors who attended a closed-door dinner at Trump Tower in September at which Trump asked for more cash to fuel his presidential campaign.
Stephens, the chairman and CEO of investment firm Stephens Inc., has an estimated net worth of $3.3 billion, according to Forbes.
Bank OZK, headquartered in Little Rock, also appeared on the Post’s list of donors to Trump’s inauguration. George Gleason is the chairman and CEO of the company, which donated $1 million to the inaugural fund. Gleason is a frequent GOP donor in Arkansas, although he has also donated to Democrats in the past. Last year, he sent $3,300 each to Arkansas’s four Republican congressmen and, in 2022, he donated $2,900 to Herschel Walker’s ill-fated Senate run in Georgia.
In a letter dated March 21, Stephens detailed what he’ll do with his vast array of financial holdings if he is confirmed to the UK ambassadorship by the U.S. Senate. He said he won’t participate “personally or substantially in any particular matter in which I know that I have a financial interest directly or predictably affected by the matter.”
Stephens said he will resign from his positions with Stephens Inc. and its parent corporation, SI Holdings Inc. In January, Stephens said that his sons, Miles Stephens and John Stephens, would become co-CEOs of the business. His daughter, Laura Brookshire nee Stephens, was named a senior executive vice president and chair of the executive committee. Warren Stephens said at the time that he would retain the title of chairman.
In his March disclosure letter, Stephens said he will also resign from his position on the board of Dillard’s Inc. Stephens listed dozens of LLCs and other businesses and said he’ll remove himself from leadership positions with them will retain a financial interest.
Among the long list of LLCs are the two entities through which Stephens holds small ownership stakes in a pair of Arkansas medical marijuana businesses.
Stephens is a part owner of Good Day Farm Arkansas, a medical marijuana cultivation facility in Pine Bluff, as well as a part owner of the Good Day Farm dispensary on Chenal Parkway in West Little Rock. Stephens said he will resign from his positions in those companies but, again, will retain a financial interest. Some of Stephens’s family members also hold ownership stakes in the medical marijuana businesses.
In a time when critical voices are increasingly silenced, the Arkansas Times stands as a beacon of truth, tirelessly defending the fundamental rights and freedoms within our community. With Arkansas at the epicenter of a sweeping culture war affecting our libraries, schools, and public discourse, our mission to deliver unflinching journalism has never been more vital. We’re here to “slay dragons” and hold power accountable, but we can’t do it alone. By contributing today, you ensure that independent journalism not only survives but thrives in Arkansas. Together, we can make a difference — join the fight.
Griffin Coop is the Cannabiz editor at the Arkansas Times where he writes about the cannabis industry, government, politics and (sometimes) exercise. Send your best news tips and craziest workouts to griffincoop@arktimes.com. More by Griffin Coop
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Founded 1974, the Arkansas Times is a lively, opinionated source for news, politics & culture in Arkansas. Our monthly magazine is free at over 500 locations in Central Arkansas.
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