Trump-backing PAC low on funds for ex-president’s legal fees
The leadership PAC Donald Trump’s team has mainly used to cover his lawyer bills is running low on cash — after spending tens of millions of dollars in recent months.
Save America shelled out nearly $3.6 million on “legal consulting” in March and has just under $4.1 million in cash on hand, according to Federal Election Commission filings released late Saturday.
The PAC’s cash flow is being buoyed by another Trump-supporting PAC, Make America Great Again Inc., which transferred $5 million to Save America at the beginning of March.
MAGA Inc. has been issuing Save America $5 million refunds every month since July. Save America had initially given MAGA Inc. $60 million, but due to the repeated returns, MAGA Inc. has less than $3 million to give back as of the end of March — complicating how Save America will continue to fund Trump’s several legal defenses.
The 77-year-old’s potential campaign finance troubles, first reported by Politico, were revealed as opening statements took place in the “hush money” case against him out of Manhattan, where Trump’s required attendance in court is keeping him off the campaign trail.
The Republican National Committee has insisted that Trump’s campaign has not asked the national GOP to cover any of the 45th president’s legal expenses to date.
“Anyone who does not want to contribute to that very small amount of money is able to opt out of that … [If you] don’t want that specific amount to go to Donald Trump’s legal bills, then you are very … you can very easily opt out of that,” RNC co-chair Lara Trump told NBC last month.
However, in a possible sign of financial strain, Trump’s top two advisers sent out a letter last week asking down-ballot candidates to contribute 5% of their donations to Trump if they use the ex-president’s name and likeness.
As the court bills pile up, Trump’s campaign has kept a tight leash on other expenses.
In March, the presumptive GOP nominee’s campaign committee spent only $3.7 million, a drastic decrease from the $11.4 million spent in January and only a few thousand dollars more than Save America spent on legal fees.
As of March 31, the Trump campaign had just over $45 million in cash on hand, an amount that will undoubtedly be boosted by a $50.5 million fundraiser held April 6 in Palm Beach.
Meanwhile, President Biden’s campaign is taking in money hand over fist.
The Democratic camp brought in above $90 million in March — boosted by a glitzy Radio City Music Hall fundraiser with Biden alongside former Presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton — with a historic $192 million cash on hand.
In March, Biden’s campaign spent more than $29 million on expenses, federal filings show.
Trump’s campaign has conceded that it will likely not reach Biden’s level of funding, but insists that it will have more than enough in the bank to unseat the incumbent Nov. 5.
“President Trump has established a commanding polling lead and failed president Crooked Joe Biden is on the ropes. His Democrat party allies know it, so they press their ongoing Witch-Hunts, further abusing and misusing the power of their offices in a no-holds barred effort to interfere in the presidential election. The American People will not fall for the Biden-directed Witch-Hunts and will hold Crooked Joe and his comrades to account in November. In the meantime, President Trump’s lawyers will continue to fight all of these Biden Trials and they will continue to be appropriately compensated for their time and efforts,” Steven Cheung, Trump’s communications director, told The Post.
