Trump's campaign is reportedly paying Eric Trump's wife and Don Jr.'s girlfriend 'out of public view'


There's always money in President Trump's re-election campaign. And since 2017, at least $75 million of it has gone to companies associated with Trump campaign manager Brad Parscale and a group of his allies, Danny Hakim and Glenn Thrush report at The New York Times.
Parscale's group — which includes a trio of former Republican National Committee officials — has "seized control of the Republican Party's voter data and fund-raising apparatus, using a network of private businesses whose operations and ownership are cloaked in secrecy, largely exempt from federal disclosure," the Times reports.
Parscale's own flagship company, Parscale Strategy, "has billed nearly $35 million to the Trump campaign, the RNC, and related entities since 2017," most of which he says he passes along to subcontractors, the Times reports. But his purchases of several multimillion-dollar homes and a Ferrari prompted Trump to call him in for a "pointed lecture," and Trump is "perpetually concerned that Mr. Parscale and his team are making too much money" off his name.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Parscale answers to Jared Kushner, Trump's son-in-law, senior White House adviser, and "informal campaign chairman, overseeing the most vital arm of the new family business: politics," the Times reports. And "the Trump family looms over the whole operation." For example:
According to two people with knowledge of the matter, Parscale Strategy has also been used to make payments out of public view to Lara Trump, the wife of the president's son Eric, and Kimberly Guilfoyle, the girlfriend of Donald Trump Jr., who have been surrogates on the stump and also taken on broader advisory roles. Their presence makes for an odd dynamic between a campaign manager and a candidate's family.During a campaign appearance last summer in Orlando, Ms. Guilfoyle confronted Mr. Parscale: Why were her checks always late? Two people who witnessed the encounter said a contrite Mr. Parscale promised that the problem would be sorted out promptly by his wife, Candice Parscale, who handles the books on many of his ventures. [The New York Times]
Read more about the RNC's private data collection and for-profit fundraising empire, the cut that goes to Parscale and his allies, and the implication for the GOP and 2020 election at The New York Times.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
-
Israel intercepts 2nd Gaza aid flotilla in a week
Speed Read The Israeli military intercepted a flotilla of nine boats with 145 activists aboard along with medical and food aid
-
Gold tops $4K per ounce, signaling financial unease
Speed Read Investors are worried about President Donald Trump’s trade war
-
Bondi stonewalls on Epstein, Comey in Senate face-off
Speed Read Attorney General Pam Bondi denied charges of using the Justice Department in service of Trump’s personal vendettas
-
Gold tops $4K per ounce, signaling financial unease
Speed Read Investors are worried about President Donald Trump’s trade war
-
The struggles of Aston Martin: burning cash not rubber
In the Spotlight The car manufacturer, famous for its association with the James Bond franchise, is ‘running out of road’
-
Why are beef prices rising? And how is politics involved?
Today's Big Question Drought, tariffs and consumer demand all play a role
-
Electronic Arts to go private in record $55B deal
speed read The video game giant is behind ‘The Sims’ and ‘Madden NFL’
-
Labor: Federal unions struggle to survive Trump
Feature Trump moves to strip union rights from federal workers
-
New York court tosses Trump's $500M fraud fine
Speed Read A divided appeals court threw out a hefty penalty against President Trump for fraudulently inflating his wealth
-
Trump said to seek government stake in Intel
Speed Read The president and Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan reportedly discussed the proposal at a recent meeting
-
Switzerland could experience unique economic problems from Trump's tariffs
In the Spotlight The current US tariff rate on Switzerland is among the highest in the world