money matters
Trump didn't spend 'a single penny' in the first half of 2021 to fulfill two big fundraising promises
Former President Donald Trump raised more money online than any other Republican in the first six months of 2021, yet a review of election filings reveals he is not spending that campaign cash on furthering either of his big fundraising promises — supporting election audits and backing Republican candidates in the 2022 midterms, Politico reports.
Despite his "$102 million war chest," not "a single penny was transferred or contributed" from the Make American Great Again PAC, Save America PAC, or Save American Joint Fundraising Committee — all "Trump-affiliated entities'' — to midterm GOP candidates or committees, or the Arizona audit Trump has "repeatedly" baselessly suggested as key to throwing out President Biden's win, per Politico. The only outside expenditure Trump did make within his six months out of office was giving $1 million to the America First Policy Institute, "the think tank a handful of his former aides launched when he lost the White House," writes Politico. Otherwise, the ex-president spent large sums on lawyers.
Such decisions suggest Trump "knows the Arizona audit is just for show and that he is more keen on saving up money for his own purposes than he is on supporting others', at least for now," Politico writes. The money moves also "stand in contrast to the tone and tenor of the fundraising appeals" to which he's committed since leaving office.
A Trump spokesperson confirmed that "no funds from any of Trump's political committees have been spent in Arizona or other efforts." But an adviser said the ex-president "recently" donated to midterm candidates he supports, and such donations would "not be visible on this latest July filing." Regardless, Trump believes "major Republican campaign committees" have already indirectly benefited from him by using his name and likeness in fundraising efforts. Read more at Politico.