According to new figures, Donald Trump’s political organization had nearly $102 million in cash reserves as of July 1, an unprecedented war chest for a former president at this stage in the election cycle.
As he trumpets baseless claims that election fraud caused his loss last year, Trump’s fundraising haul demonstrates his continued ability to raise money from small-dollar donors online.
3.2 million contributions were made to the former President’s political committees in the first six months of the year, according to Trump’s team.
Trump said in a statement that the election was “stolen” and that the donations show that millions of Americans “share my outrage and want me to continue to fight for the truth.”
Two political action committees, Save America, a leadership PAC, and Make America Great Again, as well as a separate joint fundraising committee, make up Trump’s fundraising apparatus.
The majority of Trump’s cash reserves are held in his Save America leadership PAC, which had $90 million in its accounts as of June 30, according to new filings, giving him a sizable sum to spend as his party seeks to retake control of the House and Senate in next year’s midterm elections.
Trump has also hinted at running for president again in 2024, and the new numbers show that, despite losing the election and losing access to social media platforms, he remains the GOP’s leading fundraiser.
Trump’s team announced his fundraising totals on Saturday, which were first reported by Politico, saying his committees had raised nearly $82 million in the first six months of the year, but that total included funds collected in 2020 and transferred into his account this year.
The transfers were included because they amounted to “all new revenues to Save America for this period,” according to Trump spokesman Jason Miller.
Save America is the former President’s primary fundraising and public relations vehicle, and it is through it that he issues statements endorsing his preferred candidates and denouncing those he opposes. According to the PAC’s filings with the Federal Election Commission, it did not contribute to any congressional candidates during the first six months of the year. After the period covered by the new filings ended in July, Miller told CNN, checks started going out to endorsed candidates.
Donations to leadership PACs like Save America are capped, but federal rules place few restrictions on how those funds are spent.
According to records, the PAC spent about $68,000 on lodging and meals at the Trump Hotel Collection during the first six months of the year.
Trump has also endorsed Make America Great Again Action, a super PAC. According to the super PAC’s filing on Saturday night, it had raised just over $5 million as of June 30. Don Ahern, a Nevada businessman who gave $1 million, former Georgia Senator Kelly Loeffler, who gave $250,000, and MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell, who gave $100,000, are among the individual donors. Lindell has been on a mission to prove that widespread fraud played a role in Trump’s loss.
The super PAC has recently begun spending to support Trump-backed candidates, including $100,000 in July to help Texas Republican Susan Wright win a special election for a US House seat. Wright was defeated by Jake Ellzey, a fellow Republican.
Another GOP primary, this time for a US House seat in Ohio, will be held on Tuesday, and it will be the latest test of Trump’s ability to sway voters. Make America Great Again Action has spent more than $400,000 in the Columbus-area special election to promote Trump’s choice, coal lobbyist Mike Carey.
