Billionaire Bill Ackman found himself at the center of an online firestorm after donating $10,000 to a fundraiser for an ICE agent who fatally struck Minneapolis resident Renee Nicole Good.
Social media quickly exploded with outrage, with critics blasting his “shameful” explanation and many questioning why he supported the agent instead of donating to the slain mother of three children.
Highlights
- Bill Ackman sparked major backlash after publicly donating to ICE officer Jonathan Ross, prompting accusations of insensitivity and political bias.
- Calls for boycotts erupted online, with netizens targeting businesses they believed were associated with the billionaire, including food chain giants like Chipotle.
- Ackman doubled down amid the criticism, defending his decision by citing the principle of “innocent until proven guilty” and referencing his own past legal troubles.
The backlash quickly morphed into economic protest, including calls to boycott brands people believe to be associated with Ackman, such as the giant food chain Chipotle.
One social media user reacted, “Reason 1102 why billionaires shouldn’t exist!”
Billionaire Bill Ackman sparked controversy with his defense of his choice to donate $10,000 to ICE agent Jonathan Ross
Image credits: David Orrell/CNBC/NBCU Photo Bank/Getty Images
Award-winning published poet Renee Nicole Good lost her life after being attacked with a firearm by agent Jonathan Ross in Minneapolis on January 7, 2026.
Just days later, multiple fundraising campaigns on platforms like GiveSendGo and GoFundMe were launched to raise money for Ross, reportedly to cover his legal expenses.
Ackman donated to one such GoFundMe campaign and was reportedly the top donor with a $10,000 contribution.
In a social media post shared on Monday, January 12, the 59-year-old investment tycoon said, “I am a big believer in our legal principal [sic] that one is innocent until proven guilty.”
Image credits: AntiTrumpCanada
He also called the incident “a tragedy” involving “an officer doing his best to do his job, and a protester who likely did not intend to k*ll the officer but whose actions in a split second led to her d*ath.”
As his donation became a heated and contentious topic, with many condemning the gesture, Ackman shared a lengthy statement on X earlier today, doubling down amid the online backlash, saying, “I have been widely reviled (and worse) by many on social and mainstream media.”
Directly addressing the criticism of his alleged decision to donate to the ICE officer but not to Renee, Ackman explained, “I had also attempted to support the gofundme for Renee Good’s family, but it was already closed as it had achieved its $1.5 million fundraising objective.”
“I am a big believer in our legal principal [sic] that one is innocent until proven guilty,” said the 59-year-old billionaire in a controversial X Post
Image credits: ODU English Department
He continued, “My donation to Ross has been characterized in social media by the press as my ‘giving a reward to the m*rderer of Renee Good’ likely in an effort to generate clicks and boost virality, and by some to advance their political objectives.”
“My purpose in supporting Ross and attempting to support Good was not to make a political statement. I was simply continuing my longstanding commitment to assisting those accused of crimes of providing for their defense.”
As for the reason for instead of giving the money “anonymously,” he did so publicly, believing that his “public support would help Ross more easily raise the funds needed for his defense.”
Image credits: GiveSendGo
He then went on to cite his own 2003 Securities and Exchange Commission investigation into his collapsing hedge fund Gotham Partners, saying that the probe led to his “[conviction] in the headlines,” but nothing substantial happened in reality.
The hedge-fund titan further continued, “One day you may find yourself accused of a crime you did not commit without the financial resources needed to defend yourself. From that moment on, you will strongly regret the times you have rushed to judgment on the basis of a headline and the then-limited available evidence about a case.”
Critics blasted Bill’s reasoning for not donating to the deceased Renee Nicole Good, with many calling for a boycott of “any business he had an interest in”
Image credits: BillAckman
“And you and your family will pray that someone will be open to believing you are innocent and will be willing to help you pay for your defense… A world in which the accused cannot afford to pay for their defense is not a world any of us should want to live in.”
One critic countered his explanation for not donating to Nicole, saying, “So when he went to her page, it was closed. Funny that. So make a new donation in a different way, no excuses.”
Another added, “When you immediately take side without facts by donating 10000 dollars to a man who k*lled a mother of 6 year old and say: ‘whole situation is a tragedy,’ adding that the officer was ‘doing his best to do his job.’ It’s shameful Mr Ackerman! This is not the America we stand for!”
Image credits: Abhishek Navlakh/Pexels (Not the actual photo)
A third person said, “[Jonathan Ross] won't need the money from his prison cell,” while another remarked, “That agent… has immunity and hasn't lost his job. He is getting paid a lot already. You are doing this to curry favor with this administration.”
“Billionaires will pay and do whatever it takes to defend their puppet for their own personal gains, They own and make the laws.”
Following news of the donation, many netizens called for a boycott of companies they mistakenly believed were associated with Ackman, including Chipotle.
The backlash prompted Ackman to double down “on social and mainstream media” in a follow-up statement, in which he bizarrely cited his own decades-old legal troubles
Image credits: chipotle
“Boycott chipotle only way these rich picks understand is when it hits them in the pocket,” one person wrote.
Others echoed, “Dang im once a week Chipotle [person] but never again!!”
“I’d boycott any restaurant or any business he had an interest in… Chipotle is off my eating list now.”
However, in response to the viral posts and boycott threats, Chipotle issued a formal statement clarifying that Ackman and his investment firm, Pershing Square Capital Management, are not currently affiliated with the restaurant chain.
Image credits: BillAckman
The company wrote on Threads, “Bill Ackman is not affiliated with Chipotle."
Ackman and Pershing Square previously acquired a 9.9% stake in Chipotle in 2016.
However, after profiting from the investment, the firm fully exited its position in late 2025, a move disclosed during a November earnings call.
“Are you saying paying a m*rderer is just part of doing business? What an idea for a new product/service,” wrote one furious social media user
