Trump Calls Alina Habba Mildon’s Reported $50 Million Deal ‘Not Acceptable’

President Donald Trump publicly criticized a reported $50 million contract involving his former lawyer Alina Habba Mildon, telling reporters at a Halloween event in Palm Beach, Florida, on Saturday, October 31, 2026, that the arrangement was “not acceptable.” The comments were reported overnight by Reuters and The New York Times and are visible in a White House recording of Trump’s exchange with reporters.

Trump described the reported arrangement as “totally obnoxious and outrageous.” His remarks mark a direct public response to earlier reporting about Habba Mildon’s business relationship with the family of Venezuelan banker Julio Herrera Velutini, who had sought a presidential pardon.

What Trump said

Speaking at Mar-a-Lago, Trump said he thought the reported contract was terrible and argued that the money should be returned. At the same time, he praised Habba Mildon’s previous legal work for him. The combination of praise and criticism made clear that his objection concerned the scale and circumstances of the reported payment rather than a wholesale repudiation of her past representation.

The White House posted an 11-minute video of the October 31 press gaggle early on November 1. That recording is the primary source for Trump’s words. Reuters independently reported the remarks at 2:22 a.m. GMT, and The New York Times published a separate account shortly beforehand.

What the reported contract involved

The New York Times had previously reported that Herrera Velutini’s family gave Habba Mildon a contract potentially worth $50 million while the banker was seeking clemency from Trump. Reuters described the arrangement in its account of the president’s new comments. Trump later pardoned Herrera Velutini.

Those reports concern the timing and value of a professional-services agreement. They do not, by themselves, establish that the contract purchased a pardon or that Habba Mildon committed a crime. No such finding is presented here. The sources reviewed for this article did not include a new on-the-record response from Habba Mildon to Trump’s October 31 criticism.

Why the comments matter

Habba Mildon represented Trump in high-profile civil litigation before taking a federal prosecutorial role in New Jersey. Trump’s unusually blunt remarks therefore create a public split with a former close legal adviser and put renewed attention on how people connected to the president may be paid while clients or associates seek executive clemency.

The development is Trump’s response, not the first disclosure of the contract. Earlier coverage had already raised questions about the arrangement. His October 31 statement is materially new because it places the president himself on the record rejecting the reported terms and saying the money should be returned.

Questions about access and pardons can carry political significance even when the available evidence does not establish an illegal exchange. The president has broad constitutional clemency authority, while lawyers and consultants may lawfully represent clients seeking pardons. Congress and the public nevertheless scrutinize large payments tied to presidential access because disclosure can help distinguish legitimate representation from influence trading. The central factual issues here remain what services the contract covered, who performed them, what contacts occurred and whether the parties provide further documentation or responses.

Sources and image credit

• Reuters — Trump calls $50 million contract for ex-lawyer Habba Mildon not acceptable
• The New York Times — Trump calls former lawyer’s $50 million deal obnoxious and outrageous
• White House — video of Trump’s October 31 press gaggle at Mar-a-Lago
• Image — official Alina Habba portrait on Wikimedia Commons
• U.S. Department of Justice — website policies and public-domain notice