Trump has also endorsed a super PAC, Make America Great Again Action. And during the first six months of the year, the PAC spent about $68,000 for lodging and meals at the Trump Hotel Collection, according to records. Leadership PACs such as Save America have a cap on donations, but federal rules impose few restrictions on how their contributions can be spent. Miller told CNN that checks began going out to endorsed candidates in July, after the period covered by the new filings. But the PAC had not contributed to any congressional candidates during the first six months of the year, according to its filings with the Federal Election Commission. Save America is the former President’s primary fundraising and public relations vehicle, and he uses it to issue statements endorsing his favored candidates and denouncing those he opposes. Trump spokesman Jason Miller on Sunday said the transfers were included because they amounted to “all new revenues to Save America for this period.” In announcing his fundraising totals, which were first reported by Politico, on Saturday, Trump’s team said his committees had raised nearly $82 million in the first six months of the year, but that total also included funds collected in 2020 that were transferred into his account this year. Trump also has hinted at seeking the White House again in 2024, and the new numbers show he remains the GOP’s dominant fundraising figure, despite losing the election and access to social media platforms. Most of Trump’s cash reserves are stockpiled in his Save America leadership PAC, with $90 million remaining in its accounts as of June 30, new filings show – giving the Republican a large sum to unleash as his party seeks to seize control of the House and Senate in next year’s midterm elections. Trump’s fundraising apparatus includes two political action committees: Save America, a leadership PAC, and the Make America Great Again PAC, along with a separate joint fundraising committee. In a statement, Trump once again complained of a “stolen” election and cited the donations as a sign that millions of Americans “share my outrage and want me to continue to fight for the truth.” Trump’s team said 3.2 million contributions flowed into the former President’s political committees during the first six months of the year. Trump’s fundraising haul speaks to his continued ability to raise money from small-dollar donors online, as he trumpets baseless claims that election fraud led to his loss last year. Of course, that’s not how Donald presented his desired change in cashflow when he put out a statement Monday asking for an end to traditional Republican fundraising.Donald Trump’s political organization entered July with nearly $102 million in cash reserves – an unprecedented war chest at this stage in the election cycle for a former president, according to new figures. The donations that he’s requesting are going into a fund that is exempt from bans on personal use of campaign money, meaning Trump can use those donations to pay off personal debts, which are estimated by Vanity Fair to be around $400 million, or to further enrich his family, such as by paying daughter Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner’s (substantial, I’m sure) consulting fees. But as former Federal Election Commission attorney Adav Noti points out, this isn’t as simple as Trump trying to start a fund for his own political party. While many Republican politicians and voters may still support Donald Trump, the former President is now seeking to distance himself from the party, sending out a specific request that donors stop giving to traditional GOP fundraising sites like the Republican National Committee (RNP), instead donating to his personal Save America PAC.
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