The billionaire founder of Jimmy John's donated $100,000 to Trump's reelection campaign and once hunted elephants — meet the controversial man behind one of America's favorite sandwich chains

Taylor Nicole RogersJun 20, 2020, 19:22 IST

Jonathan Weiss / Shutterstock.com

Jimmy John Liautaud founded his eponymous sandwich chain at age 19 with a $25,000 loan from his father.
Liautaud went from spending late nights delivering subs to college students from a converted garage to operating 2,800 Jimmy John's locations before selling the business in October.
Liautaud spent his $1.7 billion fortune on a 50 piece car collection that includes a $2.2 million black Ferrari LaFerrari Aperta and a 200-foot yacht.
Liautaud's wife donated $100,000 to President Trump's 2020 campaign, and the billionaire himself is a part of one of the White House's advisory teams on its economic response to the coronavirus.

Jimmy John Liautaud has built a billion-dollar fortune selling sandwiches.

Since opening his first restaurant at age 19, Liautaud has grown his eponymous sandwich shop into a sub empire with over 2,000 locations. The billionaire has spent some of his riches collecting luxury sports cars, a 200-foot yacht, a sprawling real-estate portfolio, and bolstering Donald Trump's 2020 reelection bid.

Keep reading to learn more about sandwich billionaire Jimmy John Liautaud.

James John Liautaud, 56, grew up in suburban Illinois.

Liautaud at his high school graduation. Jimmy John Liautaud/Instagram

Liautaud used the loan from his father to open his first sandwich shop in Charleston, Illinois, months after graduating from high school.

A photo shared to Liautaud's Instagram account shows him in his first sandwich shop at age 19. Jimmy John Liautaud/Instagram

Jimmy John's quickly became a success.

A Jimmy John's employee makes sandwiches. Liautaud not pictured. nate grigg

Liautaud sold the majority stake in the company to Atlanta private equity firm Roark Capital.

Roark Capital founder and managing partner Neal Aronson in 2018. Patrick McMullan via Getty Images

Even after selling Jimmy John's, Liautaud says his typical workday starts at 4:30 a.m.

Jimmy John Liautaud/Instagram

Liautaud may be a self-proclaimed workaholic, but he still finds time to enjoy his wealth.

2016 McLaren 650S Spider. Liautaud's car not pictured. Darin Schnabel/RM Sotheby's

Liautaud also owns a 200-foot yacht named 'Rock.It.'

Rock.It sits docked outside Discovery World on Milwaukee's lakefront in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on July 31, 2018. Raymond Boyd/Getty Images

Liautaud also plans to give away a lot of his money.

Liautaud donated $1 million to Elgin Academy, Inside Philanthropy reported. Google Maps

Liautaud and his wife's donations include $100,000 to President Trump's reelection bid.

President Trump's latest tangent ended up in speculation about whether he should take insulin. AP Photo/Alex Brandon

Liautaud sparked protests of Jimmy John's after sharing graphic photos of himself posing with big game he'd hunted. He has granted few interviews since.

Liautaud not pictured. Shutterstock

Despite his flashy lifestyle, Liautaud is fairly private.