Trump spent $12 million on family-owned businesses, his kids' travel during the campaign

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published 9 December 2016

As the presidential election was winding down, then-candidate Donald Trump was feeding millions of dollars into his campaign — and his family's businesses. The latest Federal Election Commission disclosure, which tracks from Oct. 20 to Nov. 28, reveals Trump paid his family-owned businesses nearly $2.9 million during that period of time.

Some of the payments occurred after Election Day, and some, The Wall Street Journal pointed out, "appear to be routine payments for rent and payroll" as well as air travel. Not all of the payments seemed to be "routine" though:

The campaign also paid $4,275 to the Trump International Golf Club in Bedminster County, New Jersey, for "lodging” on Nov. 22, the weekend Mr. Trump holed up there to interview potential Cabinet nominees. That same weekend, the campaign paid $6,850 to Eric Trump's wine manufacturing company for "facility rental and catering services." [The Wall Street Journal]

All in all, The Wall Street Journal reported Trump's spending on family businesses in the weeks immediately before and after the election amounted to "a third of the total amount he had previously paid his businesses over the course of the campaign." In total, Trump spent about $12 million on family-owned companies and his kids' travel expenses.